Amber Light
by starxfisch
Summary: Blind! Blaine story. A slight AU that begins during Sectionals, 2010. Kurt is still at McKinley and has never met Blaine. They encounter one another and their journey of being together and helping one another through blindness and bullying begins. ****Artwork is created and owned by the amazing Dying Dickinson!***
1. Chapter 1

The chilled December air had finally settled down in Western Ohio. Snowflakes began to fall gently as the members of the New Directions hugged their coats tight around them and climbed onto the school bus that would bring them to their second Sectionals competition. Nerves and excitement mixed as they found seats and clamored eagerly.

"Has anyone heard anything about these Warblers yet? They any good?" Mike asked after they had all settled into their seats.

"Nope," Sam said, leaning back and putting his hands behind his head. "But c'mon, they can't be that good right? Not any better than us at least? Just look at how much we've been practicing."

"I don't know, Sam. But I guess they can't be better than our last competitors. Vocal Adrenaline tore us to shreds last year," Mercedes replied.

"We've totally got this, guys, don't worry about it," Finn chimed in. "They won't stand a chance. We're better than we were a year ago, plus we've got Sam now, and Brittany and Mike are going to do their dance routine. We've got it in the bag."

"Hey, don't forget about the Hipsters, we've got to worry about them," Artie added.

Puck scoffed, making an obscene comment and causing everyone to burst out laughing before relaxing against their significant others and falling into a calm sleep. The bus was quiet in a matter of minutes, nothing but the sound of the bus' engine and soft breathing filling the space.

Kurt was sitting behind everyone else. He sighed and reached into his bag to grab his iPod to relax before they arrived. He leaned against the glass window, letting his skin get used to how harshly cold it was. He hugged himself to get warmer. His breath fogged up the glass slightly, so he wiped it off to watch the town pass by, watching Lima go by in a blur as they exited it and got onto the highway.

He closed his eyes before drifting off into sleep with everyone else, the cold air and lack of heat next to him causing his arms to wrap tighter around his body.

Things were not very different two hours away in Westerville. The Dalton Academy Warblers were gearing up for a day of competition as well, loading onto their bus anxiously. They were dancing, clapping, and beat boxing to psyche themselves up. They all were chattering excitedly as they piled in and took their seats.

Last to board was Blaine Anderson. He managed to get himself out to the bus, up the stairs, and into his seat without the use of his cane. He was taught how to get around the grounds of Dalton when he started school there, and it was second nature by this point.

He brought his cane because he knew he would need it for getting around the theater, so he kept it folded in the messenger bag he had tucked next to his side.

All of his friends started to pump him up as well, giving him pats on the back and chanting his name. He smiled and joined the fun, goofing around with everybody. He had gone to school with most of these guys for a couple years and they were some of his best friends, so he knew all of their voices and could know who was talking without hesitation.

After the initial thrill began to ware off and the bus grew quieter, he leaned his back against the window and began to drift off himself. His nerves were building in his stomach, the nerves he always got before performances. He sighed and willed himself off into silence and darkness beyond consciousness.

The theater was already buzzing when the New Directions arrived. Show choirs from around western Ohio were flocking around the lobby, harried directors trying to sign in or collect everyone to head to the audience or the warm up room.

Mr. Shuester directed them to a corner to wait. Rachel was at the front of the group standing on her tip-toes, scanning the crowd for any sign of Dalton Academy.

"Does anyone know what their uniforms look like?" she hissed, straining herself up as tall as she could get.

Everyone rolled their eyes at her and stalled by talking to one another, running through lyrics and choreography in their heads, straightening their uniforms, and anything they could do to pass the time.

"All right, guys, we can head to the warm up room," Mr. Shue called as he approached them and pointed in the direction they needed to head.

They passed by a group of senior citizens in matching black and sky blue uniforms.

"Looks like we found the Hipsters," Puck whispered to Finn as he gave one of the ladies a wink. Finn laughed and pulled him away before he could go any further.

They all gathered in the designated room and began prepping for the performance. When the lights started flickering on and off, they did a group circle, encouraged each other and wished for the best before taking the stage.

The performance went off without a hitch. Mike and Brittany nailed their routine, and Quinn and Sam's duet was a big hit. They fled off the stage with adrenaline coursing through them, unable to contain their elation at how well everything went—even Rachel was pleased despite not having a solo.

Their high persisted until they took their seats in the audience, patiently, and maybe a little bit nervously, waiting for the Warblers to take the stage.

"How great was that?" Finn asked, leaning over to Kurt.

Kurt gave him a smile but was unable to reply, as the announcer just came on overhead.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome from Dalton Academy in Westerville, The Warblers!"

The audience started clapping as a multi part harmony filled the room. All of the boys were facing the center of the stage, chanting together around one boy in particular standing in the center. The boy started singing the lead of the song, and Kurt recognized it as "Hey, Soul Sister" immediately.

When the first verse began after the intro, all of the boys began their dance routine except for the boy in the center. He just stood there singing, doing only small movements—spinning around in place, stepping off to the left or right and then back into his spot and snapping his fingers. Their sound was undeniably amazing.

When they finally finished their routine, the theater was booming with applause, and a lot of people stood up. The soloist took a bow several times, mouthing thank you to the crowd. The New Directions went along with it as well, but they were all wondering the same thing. They watched as the one of the boys put his arm around the boy and led him off stage.

Immediately following the performance, they had extra time before the winner would be announced, so they all headed out into the lobby to scope out their competition and get snacks.

Kurt couldn't keep his mind off of the lead vocalist from the Warblers. He didn't move much, but his voice was beautiful. And the Warblers were obviously underestimated by the New Directions. He kept thinking back to the boy's small movements, and how his voice transcended that.

A little while later, the lights flickered one last time and they took the stage with their competition. Kurt tried to discreetly take some glances at the mystery lead of the Warblers, but he was on the opposite side of the stage and out of sight.

The announcer came out onto the stage to announce an unsurprisingly loss for the Hipsters, and to unexpectedly announce a tie for the New Directions and the Warblers.

Everyone started cheering and hugging as Mr. Shue went to shake hands with the lead Warbler. Kurt turned to watch him go, and that's when he saw the boy walking towards Mr. Shue as well, a white cane in his hand. The cane was red at the end, and he would tap it on the ground before each step, his every move tentative. Kurt's jaw dropped a little as he realized why the boy wasn't dancing.

The trophy was kept by the New Directions, but they would officially be facing off against the Warblers at the Regionals competition in a couple months. They couldn't help but cheer as they ran back out into the lobby hugging each other and taking turns holding the trophy.

Kurt was joining in on the celebration when he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

He turned to see the Warblers huddled down the hall, celebrating similar to the way they were. Everyone was clapping Blaine on the shoulder and hugging him. His smile was huge as he responded to everyone enthusiastically. Kurt watched as he did this, his eyes always slightly off from who he was speaking to.

In a split second, Kurt made the decision to go congratulate them. He started walking over just as they started to walk away.

"Wait!" Kurt called. He saw Blaine stop slightly before going to move again. "Wait, uh…Mr. Warbler!" Kurt called, unsure of what else to say. Blaine stopped and turned around in the direction of Kurt's voice.

Kurt ran up to him. "Um, hi," he started.

It took a moment before Blaine replied. "Hi?" he said tentatively.

"Yes, hello. My name is Kurt Hummel, I am a member of the New Directions," he explained. He was unsure of what to do, so he grabbed Blaine's hand that wasn't holding the cane, took it in his and shook it. Blaine responded, shaking back and smiling.

"Oh, hi. My name is Blaine Anderson—I'm a member of the Warblers," he explained.

"Yeah, I know," Kurt said as he let go of Blaine's hand. "We saw you perform actually. I just wanted to say congratulations and that you guys were really great."

Kurt could tell how intently he was listening.

"Thank you so much, that's very sweet of you to say. Your group was amazing as well, I was really impressed."

"Oh, thanks," Kurt said, smiling brightly.

Blaine started up a conversation, asking how far Lima was from there, how many people were in the New Directions, and so on. Kurt watched him talk, enthralled by the way he spoke. He saw his golden amber eyes, every so slightly foggy in the center but still shining faintly. After a few minutes, Kurt saw everyone lining up to leave. But he didn't want to leave and go back with them; he really wanted to stay and talk with Blaine.

"I think my group is taking off," Kurt said finally.

"Oh, okay," Blaine responded with a small smile. "I won't keep you then. It was very nice to meet you, Kurt. I'm glad you came over to say hi."

Kurt gave a soft laugh. "Me too. I'm glad we could talk for a few minutes."

After a moment, Blaine spoke again. "We could, um…we could talk more if you want."

Kurt quirked an eyebrow. "We could?"

"Sure, why not?" Blaine asked. "I'm not busy after school on Thursday. Would you like to get some coffee after school or something?"

Kurt bit his lip to restrain the smile threatening to break out on his face. "I'd love to," he answered. "Would you like my number?"

"Sure," he said, taking a cell phone out of his pant pocket. Kurt watched him slide up the keyboard of the phone and was fascinated to see it had a Braille keyboard.

"I'm ready," Blaine said.

"Oh, sorry," Kurt said shaking his head and rattling off his number for Blaine.

Blaine smiled, sliding his phone back in his pocket. "Cool, thanks, Kurt. I'll text you at some point so you have my number."

"Sounds great," Kurt said, taking Blaine's hand one more time in his and shaking it before starting to walk away.

Mercedes had waited for him. "What was that about? Getting friendly with the competition?" she said teasingly.

"Just wishing them the luck they'll need at Regionals," Kurt said, putting his arm around her shoulders as they headed back to the bus.

Later that night when Kurt was doing his homework on his bed, his phone buzzed next to him.

He picked it up and smiled to see a text from an unknown number.

**I'm glad we met today. Do you mind coming to Dalton on Thursday? I know it's out of your way, but I couldn't arrange a ride. There's a local coffee shop we could go to if you want :) **

Kurt's big smile returned as he typed his reply back.

_That will be just fine. Can't wait! _


	2. Chapter 2

It was unusual, how quickly Kurt and Blaine came to meet and start to want to get to know each other. But one thing was clear: both were very happy that things fell into place as well as they did.

That week, Kurt spent plenty of time filling Rachel and Tina in on what was happening throughout their English class during the time that was supposed to be spent in group discussion over _The Great Gatsby_.

"So you're telling me that you are meeting this guy for coffee? Kurt, do you honestly not remember what happened with Jesse and I last year? You are putting us in serious jeopardy here!" Rachel scolded him.

"She's right, Kurt. And besides, Mercedes said that you told her that you just wished them luck for Regionals! You didn't mention anything about a date," Tina inputted.

"Okay, first of all, it is absolutely not a date, we're just getting together to talk," Kurt refuted. "And besides, there's no way I could forget everything that happened last year, I was the one spearheading the charge."

They continued to give him dubious looks, unconvinced by his argument.

"You guys, come on. I really like him, he seems really nice. I can't explain it, but I just really want to get to know him more," he pleaded.

"Because he's good looking and has a voice that others would kill for," Rachel replied. "Kurt, trust me, I know how this goes. The same thing happened to me last year. It's a trap."

Kurt frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. "I don't know about that, Rachel. He seemed really sweet. How about we make a deal? I can go get coffee with Blaine on Thursday—without having to call it a date—and I promise to give you guys every detail. If it goes well, maybe I'll see him again. If not, I'll stop it then and there."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Well, we already know how this going to end."

Kurt pushed her arm teasingly before their teacher called them out, telling them to return to their work.

They nodded in silent agreement, both girls giving Kurt a knowing smile. He pretended not to notice.

"Guys, I have something to tell you," Blaine told his friends that were doing homework with him in his dorm room.

Nick, Jeff, and Wes looked up from their books and gave him their attention.

He exhaled before starting. "Okay, so, yesterday I got to talk to one of the members of our competition."

"Really?" Jeff asked. "What did you find out?"

Blaine laughed. "Well, nothing. Not really. I mean, we only talked for about five minutes. But, um…when were done talking I kind of asked him if he wanted to get coffee with me on Thursday."

"You _what_?" Nick asked, turning the cover of his book shut completely.

"Well, he was very nice and I thought that this might be good, you know? Friendly competition?" he said weakly.

"Blaine," Jeff began. "You do not invite your competition for Regionals out on a coffee date. Like, that just doesn't happen—it's a rule or something!"

"Well, first of all it's not a date—I mean, I don't even know if he's gay—and I think there is merit in getting being amicable. Just a thought. But I mean, I thought I'd at least tell you guys because I trust you and know that you will understand," he finished.

They looked at him and each other for a few moments before letting him know that they wouldn't mind.

"Just give us the details," Wes said as he packed his stuff up with the other guys.

Blaine smiled, a faint blush crossing over his face. "Will do," he said as the door closed.

It was Wednesday evening when Kurt decided to text Blaine. They hadn't talked a lot that week, so it gave him an excuse to double check for their plans the next day.

_Hey, Blaine! I was just wondering if you were still planning on getting coffee tomorrow afternoon? _

He set his phone next to him and returned to his homework while he waited for a response.

A few minutes went by and he got a little nervous, his thoughts unable to concentrate on his assignment. A million scenarios went by in his mind as he formulated all of the reasons that Blaine wouldn't text him back when his buzzing phone interrupted. Relief settled over him as he unlocked his phone to see Blaine's name on the screen.

**Hi, Kurt. I'm still up for tomorrow if you are. Just let me know when you'd like to meet. **

Kurt grinned as he started tapping out a response and sent it.

_I can leave to pick you up right after school if you want. I'll be there around 4._

A couple towns over, Blaine was unable to suppress his grin as his phone read the text message aloud to him.

Cell phones with such technology for those suffering from blindness were fairly new, and the fact that his father was able to afford one for Blaine made things so much easier. He slid his keyboard down and let his fingers drift over the Braille keys, typing out a response to Kurt that he hoped sounded excited but not too eager.

**Sounds perfect. I guess I will see you then!**

_See you then :)_

"So, today's the big day," Mercedes chimed as she walked up to Kurt and looped her arm through his as they walked down the hallway.

"What do you mean?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't play dumb, Kurt. You really think Tina and Rachel wouldn't fill me in?"

He didn't have a response because he knew that she had a point. He let out a big sigh—"Fine. But please don't be mad at me, Mercedes. I just think it will be fun, okay? It's not a date, and no, I didn't forget the whole Jesse-Rachel scenario, in case you were going to point that out."

She rolled her eyes but gave him an understanding smile. "Okay, okay, Kurt. You're right. Call me tonight and let me know how it goes though! I want to know everything."

"Of course," he said, giving her a peck on the cheek before they parted ways. He had one more class before the end of the day, and he had a feeling that it was going to feel like forever.

Kurt sprinted out to his car the second the final bell rang. He jumped in his car, throwing his bag carelessly in the back and sped out of the parking lot before the traffic built up. He managed to get on the highway to Westerville in less than ten minutes, making fairly good time to pick Blaine up.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn't nervous. He had the drive to think about how their conversation could go, what besides being in glee club they could possibly have in common. It worried him a little, that glee _is_ all that they have in common, but he knew there was no sense in worrying about it. He wouldn't care where things went, because he was getting the chance to meet someone who he found incredibly talented and who was undeniably special.

Blaine was getting out of class just after three. He checked his phone anxiously for new messages, finding none. He had just gotten out of his English class with We who he incidentally needed a favor from.

Even though Blaine knew his way around Dalton fairly confidently, his friends still helped him whenever they could. Blaine was holding onto Wes' arm as they went down the grand staircase and out the front doors to catch a breath of fresh air after being stuck inside all day.

He remembered how the outside world looked from when he still had his sight when he was younger. He had never seen the grounds of Dalton, but he could imagine the light snow cover on old buildings, knowing snow was there from the light sensation of snow flakes falling on his face and the soft crunch underneath his timid foot steps. He pulled his scarf tighter around his neck before asking Wes the favor he needed.

"Wes?" he asked, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between them as they walked.

"Yeah?"

"I—I need a favor," he stammered. He couldn't believe how nervous he was getting over something so trivial.

"Sure, what's up, man?" he replied.

Blaine let out a breath, and finally found the words to ask. "I need you to help me pick out an outfit to wear today."

Wes instantly started cracking up. "Oh my God, Blaine, only you," he got out through the laughter.

"What?" Blaine asked, smiling and curious as to what Wes meant, but he was still laughing. "Seriously, Wes, what's so funny?"

Wes collected himself finally and explained himself. "Blaine, when have you ever worried about what your outfit looked like?"

It was true. Oftentimes—but not always—Blaine picked out his own outfits on the weekend, knowing his friends could care less if the colors matched Truth be told, though, Blaine cared what he looked like when it came to something like this.

"Well, he barely knows me and I want to give him a good impression," Blaine replied exasperated. "That's allowed, isn't it?"

Wes patted the arm that was around his. "Of course, Blaine, I was just giving you a hard time. I totally get it and am more than willing to help you out."

"Thank you," Blaine said, reciprocating the pat. He pulled his hand out of his sleeve and checked the time on his Braille watch, noting that it was already 3:15. "Let's get to my room, and quick!"

Wes and Blaine tore back across the ground, back inside, and up the stairs to the dorms as fast as they could manage before tearing through Blaine's wardrobe to find the perfect outfit for what was definitely not a date.

Kurt pulled into Dalton's mile long driveway cautiously, unable to believe the elegance and magnitude of it all. He panicked momentarily, wondering how he would ever be able to find the building where Blaine would be. As soon as the driveway started to end, he realized he didn't need to worry, as the road dead-ended into the "main" building with a sign detailing it as an academic center and living quarters. He figured there was a good chance that this is where he would be and was about to dial Blaine's number when the door opened cautiously and he saw Blaine step out. Kurt caught sight of a boy behind him that he recognized from the Warblers who was talking to Blaine. Blaine was nodding, taking guarded steps towards Kurt's car. He held his hands out when he was about three feet from the car. Kurt was so busy wondering what the boy was telling Blaine when he realized that he had been directing him on where to go. Acting fast, he jumped out of the car.

"Blaine, hi!" he called. Blaine moved his head in the direction of Kurt's voice.

"Hi, Kurt. I'm sorry, I usually know my way around.." he started to trail off before Kurt cut him off, running around the side of the car and opening the door.

"Oh, don't apologize, Blaine, I should have come and helped you earlier. Here, let me…"

Kurt cautiously took Blaine's outstretched hand and helped lead him to the car.

Blaine felt the roof of the car, bent down to find the seat and carefully set himself inside. "Thanks," he said as he got comfortable, looking up in Kurt's direction.

"No problem," Kurt said, softly closing the door.

He waved to the Warbler that was still standing in the door who smiled and waved back. He then hopped in the car and started the journey back to the streets.

"So, uh, I know the way by street names but Wes wrote down detailed directions for you to read," Blaine said, pulling a piece of paper out of the pocket of his black pea coat and handing it to Kurt.

He smiled as he took it, assuming Wes was who was helping him earlier. "Thanks, Blaine," he said as he unfolded it and read through it. "So how was your week?"

Blaine exhaled and leaned his head against the back of the car seat. "Really busy," he began. "Dalton is kind of known for being rigorous academically, so there's never a dull moment. I know it's senior year and all, but you'd think they would lighten up a bit."

Kurt gave a soft laugh. "Yeah, tell me about it," he said, taking one of the final turns he needed to get to the coffee shop.

"So you're a senior too?" Blaine asked as Kurt pulled into a parking spot.

"Yup, fortunately," Kurt said. "I don't think I could survive another year here. It's way too depressing."

He put the car into park and glanced at Blaine. Blaine had a small smile on his face. "Tell me about it."

Kurt helped Blaine into the coffee shop even though he had brought his cane and was using it. He got it out and tapped it slowly as he walked towards the door, Kurt walking slower than he normally would to stay by Blaine's side.

"Sorry," Blaine started. "I have to go a lot slower in the winter, especially in parking lots. You never know where a patch of ice could be."

"Oh, don't apologize, I don't mind," Kurt said gently, pulling the door open as they approached it.

Using his cane to tap the ground in front of him and holding his hand out in front of him to guide himself through the door, Blaine made it inside and paused to wait for Kurt who trailed just behind him.

He followed Kurt to the front of the line, Kurt insisting that Blaine order first.

"Fine," Blaine said, a little exasperated but thankfully nonetheless. "A medium drip, please," he told the barista. He pulled out a credit card and fumbled around, slowly moving his hand around to try and find the credit card reader.

When he was all paid for, he stepped aside to wait for Kurt and his drink.

Kurt stepped forward and ordered his usual Grande nonfat mocha, paid, and moved next to Blaine to wait with him.

They stood in silence for a few moments before their coffee was ready.

"Pick wherever you want to sit," Blaine told him.

"Okay," Kurt said looking around for an empty table. He found a small two-person table next to the window. "Um, how about the one over here…" he struggled on how to find the words to direct Blaine with all of the tables and other obstacles in the way. "Can I help you?" he asked gently.

Blaine smiled, a tiny laugh escaping from his lips. "Sure you can," he said, holding his arm out. Kurt took it gently and guided him over to the table. Blaine fumbled as he found the chair before sitting down, taking off his coat and turning to set it on the back of his chair.

Kurt hadn't noticed the fact that Blaine was out of his school uniform, that the boxy, misshapen uniform was replaced with well-fitted dark wash jeans and a button up covered by a black sweater over top. It fit him really well, complemented his black oxfords and brought out his olive skin and dark hair.

"Do you have a place like this in Lima?" Blaine asked as he cautiously grabbed for his coffee on the table. Kurt watched his fingers clumsily grab the cup and lift it to his lips.

"Yeah, actually. Everyone usually hangs out at a place called the Lima Bean," he explained.

"Mm," Blaine responded, swallowing his sip of coffee. "And how do the nonfat mochas compare?"

"Well, let's see," Kurt said, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a generous sip of it. The warm taste of coffee, chocolate, and cream filled his mouth and caused a wave of relief to spread through him as he swallowed, fully enveloping himself in the relief from the bitterly cold air that they had endured minutes ago. "Not bad," he said after finishing the sip completely.

"Good," Blaine said smiling. "I'm glad it's not a disappointment, I would have felt bad for dragging you here."

Kurt smiled, dropping his head. "You've got to stop giving yourself such a hard time!" he said.

"I know, I know," Blaine said. "I hear that a lot. It's just hard."

It was unusual to be talking to someone but not having them look back, whether it was listening or telling a story. Blaine could look in Kurt's general direction, but it was a rare occurrence for their eyes to catch, and even when it did happen, it was for a second. A petty coincidence. An unintended chance that only Kurt could register happening, because the minute their eyes locked, Blaine's eyes were looking elsewhere less than a second later. But Kurt didn't mind. Because despite this, he never felt like anyone had listened to him so closely before.

"So your school is pretty intense," Kurt commented. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated pulling up to it."

Blaine let out a loud laugh. "That's what I hear. I guess it's pretty unapproachable. But in all honesty, it is a really great place. Like I said, it's really known for academics. But we have our glee club and sports and all of that."

"How did you end up there?" Kurt asked. "I mean—and don't take this offensively—but how did you end up in an all-boys private school that wears uniforms and probably costs a fortune?"

Blaine still smiled, though it dropped a little. "Well, my parents wanted me to go there. For a couple reasons really, but mainly because of its academic reputation. You know, just giving me the best they think they can offer.

"Ah," Kurt said, taking another sip from his coffee.

"So, what is McKinley like? Is it fine arts centric?" Blaine asked.

"Oh, God no," Kurt shot out. "Not in the slightest. It's your typical American school, you know. The jocks and cheerleaders rule the school, everyone else is unworthy of their time, and the glee club kids get treated to a slushie facial every day."

Blaine frowned. "Oh no. That's so awful."

"Yeah, well, it could always be worse. The glee club at least has each other, and that's all we need. And there are even some jocks and cheerleaders in the glee club, so that makes things a little better."

"Wow," Blaine commented. "That's kind of cool. I mean, there are a couple of our athletes in glee club too, but to the same extent, we don't really have the social divide at Dalton. Everyone just kind of gets along with one another."

"How do they manage that?" Kurt inquired.

"Well, Dalton has a zero-tolerance harassment policy. And they're insanely strict about it. That's another thing on their main agenda; safety for all of the students. It maintains order," he explained.

Kurt nodded, not saying anything. It wasn't a secret that he had a bit of a problem in this area at McKinley. After he hadn't spoken for a few moments, Blaine spoke again. "Are you okay?"

Kurt looked up. He could feel the prick of tears forming in his eyes but he didn't want to start crying during their first time hanging out together.

"Uh, yeah," Kurt started. "I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

Kurt looked at Blaine as Blaine looked back at him, or at least in the same direction as him. He inhaled and let a deep breath out.

"I guess I just wish that they took that more seriously at my school," he finally said.

Blaine cocked his head. "What do you mean? Have you had problems with it?"

Kurt thought over how he wanted to answer the question. He didn't know what to think. The fact that Dalton had such a strict policy against bullying yet he was receiving death threats and nothing could be done about it? It didn't make sense.

"Kurt?" Blaine asked gently

He sighed. "Well, there's just this one boy at my school. A football player. He has been making my life hell this whole year and there's nothing I or anybody else can do about it. And it's just getting harder and harder to deal with every day, honestly."

Blaine's expression softened. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry. What has he done to you? I mean, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to or anything, I just…I'm here if you want to talk."

Kurt looked at Blaine again, smiling at the boy sitting next to him. He loved how attentively Blaine listened to him.

"Thank," Kurt said. "I mean, he does typical stuff. Calls me names. Shoves me into lockers. That kind of stuff…"

"What does he call you?"

Kurt knew it would be okay to tell Blaine the truth, but it didn't make it any less terrifying. Anyone could be kind but if they don't like something about you, it's hard to go back when they find out.

"Well, um…I think because of the way I dress, my voice, the fact that I'm in glee club and…well, the fact that I'm out of the closet since last year influences the names he calls me."

Blaine's jaw dropped a little, taking a quick intake of breath. "I am so sorry, Kurt. That's so unfair and…well, I know how you feel."

Kurt stayed silent for a moment before Blaine spoke again. "I'm out, too."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Kurt spoke again. "What are the odds, huh?"

That made Blaine laugh. "Yeah. It's easy to feel so alone, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Kurt said, nodding. "It really is. This bully doesn't like who I am, but not for the reason that you would think. He's got his own problems, too."

"Everyone does," Blaine said.

"That's true," Kurt agreed.

Kurt and Blaine continued to talk for the next couple hours, the gentle flow of traffic through the café coming and going, the snow continuing to fall gently outside. It didn't take long after their initial heavy confessions to ease into conversation, each delving into different aspects of their lives. Blaine told Kurt about how a bullying situation was also part of the reason his parents moved him to Dalton, told him about how he is an only child and that his parents were always away from home for work.

"Doesn't that get lonely?" Kurt asked.

"Sure," Blaine said. "But I know they care about me. They didn't throw me out when I came out or anything."

"They didn't care?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that," he said. "They're not…totally okay with it yet, but they're leaning. They understand that it's who I am."

Kurt told Blaine about his mom's death and the recent marriage of his father to Carole, making him the official step brother to Finn Hudson, the football quarterback and glee club male lead. He told him about his glee club friends and his preparation for his NYADA audition which lead to a new conversation about colleges. Blaine was planning on applying to a bunch of schools including some Ivy Leagues that his parents wanted him to apply to as well as some music schools in New York, explaining that's what he really wanted to do.

"You want to go into musical theater or vocal performance?" Kurt asked.

"Maybe," Blaine said with a shrug. "But I also play piano, and I want to keep up with that."

Blaine filled Kurt in on how his mom made him start piano lessons when he was seven and that he had stuck with it ever since.

"I'm so impressed by you," Kurt finally said.

"What?" Blaine said with a chuckle. "Why?"

"Because!" Kurt said. "Going through what you had to go through, plus your condition…it must have been so hard to deal with, yet you're so talented, adaptive, and optimistic it seems."

Blaine shrugged his shoulders. "It's not that bad," he started. "I mean…I still get to taste coffee and feel snowflakes and hear music…I may not get to _see_ the coffee cup in my hand or _see_ the notes printed on a page, but there's so much I still do have, you know?"

Kurt nodded. "I guess so," he said. "I still think it's amazing."

A tiny blush crept across Blaine's cheeks.

Time passed by too quickly for their liking. The sun had gone down and Kurt watched the snowflakes sparkle across the ground outside the window, the light from the café illuminating it, wishing he could watch Blaine watch the snowflakes too. They hadn't moved the entire night, and they could still keep talking.

Blaine lifted the sleeve of his shirt and Kurt saw him check his watch, running his finger over the watch's surface, his eyes open and staring nearly right at the face of the watch, searching for the time but not seeing. Kurt realized how many things he took for granted that were an extra step for Blaine to accomplish. He had seen how Blaine had to walk from place to place, how dangerous each step was when just walking from inside to outside, getting in a car, how he had to search for the credit card reader or his coffee cup for several moments before any action that he did.

"Wow, it's eight already!" Blaine exclaimed.

"Huh?" Kurt asked, shaking himself out of his private thoughts.

"It's eight already," Blaine repeated. "How did that happen?"

"I'm not sure," Kurt said coyly.

Blaine smiled at him. "Well, you have a long drive back and it's a school night. Maybe we should head out?"

Kurt deflated a little. He really didn't want to leave.

"Sure," Kurt said, starting to stand up. He looked down at Blaine as he tried to grab his coffee cup, searching slowly with his hand once again, but it was closer to him than he thought. Kurt watched as the cup got knocked over by Blaine's hand, coffee spilling out of it and all over Blaine's lap.

"Oh no," Kurt cried, running over to the counter to grab some napkins.

"Shit," Blaine mumbled under his breath as he rubbed his hands over his pants in an attempt to get it off of his lap. "Shit."

"Here, here, I've got some napkins," Kurt said hurriedly taking Blaine's hand and placing the napkins in them.

"Thank you," Blaine said quietly wiping his lap and then his hands.

A couple people had stopped to watch what was happening, and Kurt was glad that Blaine couldn't see the quizzical looks they were giving them. Kurt ignored them, helping Blaine stand up. When he took Blaine's hand to help him up, he looked into Blaine's eyes and saw that they had started to get watery. He gently helped him out of his seat and into the bathroom.

"God, I'm so sorry, Kurt, I'm such an idiot," Blaine said as he groped for the sink handle.

"Shh, it's fine, Blaine, don't call yourself that. It's fine." Kurt left his side to get some paper towel. He dampened it and brought it over to Blaine. Blaine used it to wipe his pants down and then washed his hands quickly.

"Thanks for your help," he said sincerely.

"You're welcome," Kurt said. He didn't know what else to do or say, so he squeezed Blaine's shoulders encouragingly and sympathetically.

They eventually finished cleaning Blaine up, threw out their coffee cups, got their coats on and were headed back home by 8:30.

"My dad's gonna kill me," Kurt said with a laugh.

"Will he really?" Blaine asked.

"No," Kurt answered. "He just worries about me."

They were silent the rest of the five minute drive. They arrived and Kurt got out to escort Blaine to the front doors, just to be sure that he got there without slipping. They were standing outside the door, saying their final words for the night.

"Thanks a lot, Kurt. I had a really great time tonight."

"So did I," Kurt said. "Thank you for the invite."

It was silent before Blaine spoke a few moments later. "You know our teammates are going to kill us for being friends right?"

Kurt laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I don't really care. Do you?"

Blaine thought for a moment and then smiled. "Nope."

Before taking off, they gave each other a hug, and then Kurt started his journey back home. He got home a little after 10:30.

"Hey, bud, how'd it go?" Burt called from the living room where he and Carole were cuddling and watching TV.

"Great," Kurt said, shrugging his coat off. "I had a really good time."

"Good," his father called.

"'Night, guys," Kurt called as he started up the stairs.

"Goodnight," they called back.

He got upstairs and collapsed on his bed, relaxing just a little before getting ready for bed. He could wait until tomorrow to talk to Mercedes. He climbed in, ready to drift off to sleep if not for a nagging urge to ask Blaine a question. He finally gave in and did it.

His phone buzzed only a minute later with Blaine's reply.

**Same time on Saturday? Works perfect. I'll see you then, Kurt. Sweet dreams. **

_Great :) Sweet dreams, Blaine. _

And they drifted off into unconsciousness, phones in hands and smiles on their faces.


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh, Kurt," Mercedes sing-songed as she strode up to Kurt's locker the next day, Tina and Rachel not far from her side.

He bit his lip. The door of his locker was blocking his friends from view, but he knew what was coming. "Uh, yeah?" he asked meekly, keeping his locker door open.

Rachel gently pushed the door more shut, forcing Kurt to have no choice but to come face to face with the trio. He gave them a weak smile before shutting the door completely and starting off down the hallway, the others close behind.

"So, are you going to tell us or not?" Mercedes asked. "You totally left me hanging last night, you know."

"I know, I'm sorry," Kurt supplied.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it, Kurt, but c'mon, we just want the details. Did it go well?" Tina cut in.

"Did you get any dirt on the competition?" Rachel threw in.

"Okay, okay, calm down, you guys, and I'll tell you," Kurt interjected. They instantly went silent and listened intently, anticipating what Kurt was going to tell them.

"So, it went really well," he started. "We went and got coffee at a place right around the corner from Dalton—which is totally goth-esque—and just sat and talked for a couple hours. It was nothing that interesting—"

"It must have been interesting if you got back too late to call me," Mercedes interrupted.

"Well, yeah, I mean we talked for a long time," Kurt explained. "I didn't get home until after 10:30; Dalton _is_ an hour and a half away, you know."

They all gave him an "I-told-you-so" look.

"Okay, please don't be mad at me," he pleaded. "I know he and I just met and all, but he told me last night that he's gay, too. You don't know what that means to me, to know someone that is like me. That's a little unheard of in Lima if you haven't noticed."

They gave him a knowing look. "We know," Tina said.

"Kurt, we have been pretty intense about this the past couple days," Mercedes started.

"Can you blame us?" Rachel interjected.

Tina shushed Rachel and Mercedes continued.

"But we're your best friends. And even though it's hard and we still don't trust him in the slightest, we understand if you want to see him again, because honestly you haven't looked this happy in a long time," she finished giving him a small smile.

His face lit up. "Thank, you guys. I promise I won't do anything to screw up Regionals."

"We're counting on you, Kurt," Mercedes said as the girls turned and started to go in the opposite direction to their first class.

He let out a huge breath as he started to his first class. That went better than expected.

The next evening found Kurt seated to Friday Night dinner with Carole, Burt, and Finn. They were devouring plates of salad and pasta and discussing the highlight of their weeks when Carole popped the question.

"Kurt, you never did tell us exactly how your date with that boy went," she said with a smile before taking a sip of wine.

"Because it wasn't a date!" Kurt cried immediately. The last thing he needed was for more people to be under that impression.

"Oh, Honey, I know, I'm just teasing you," she said as she reached over and gave his arm a pat. "I'm sorry."

Kurt smiled; he couldn't help it. "No, it's totally fine, Carole. To answer your question, though, it was really great. He's really sweet, and even though we spent hours talking, I feel like I could have talked with him the whole night. I just really like him a lot," he finished. Rachel and Carole grinned from ear to ear as he spoke, Finn would look up occasionally after putting a fork full of food in his mouth, and Burt was just nodding.

"I'm happy to hear that, Kurt," Burt said. "It's good to have a friend you can relate to on some level like that."

Kurt's eyes fell as he started swirling more spaghetti around his fork. "Mhm," he started. "And, um…he, uh, he did tell me that he's gay. Which is kind of cool…I mean, how many openly gay kids are there in western Ohio?"

His father looked up in surprise. Carole spoke first. "Well, that's wonderful, Kurt! You two were meant to meet, I am sure."

Kurt smiled. He looked to Burt cautiously who was smiling at him as well. "I agree. That's a special thing, Kurt. Don't let it go."

Kurt's eyebrows knitted together. "Why would I do that?"

"Aren't you guys in competition with one another?" Burt asked.

"Well, sure, but…that doesn't mean that we'd stop being friends."

"I'm just saying," Burt said. "I know you're old enough to make your own decisions, you've just got to keep it all in perspective."

Kurt thought about it for a minute before responding. "Okay, well, thanks. We are getting together again tomorrow, though."

Burt smiled. "Okay. What's your plan?"

Kurt shrugged. "I don't know. Just hang out, I guess. Get to know him a little more."

They all nodded and went on with their conversation. Kurt was content; it was nice to know that they wouldn't read into it any further…at least not for now.

That night, Kurt was lying in bed, flipping through a magazine and paying slight attention to the TV in the background when his phone buzzed next to him. He grabbed it thinking that Mercedes was just going to wish him luck tomorrow (despite how unnecessary that was) but was pleasantly surprised to see Blaine's name on his phone. He unlocked his phone and opened the message.

**Hey there. So, I just wondered what the plan was for tomorrow. Any ideas?**

A little smile crossed Kurt's face before he tapped out a response.

_Well, I can come pick you up around 10. Does that sound okay?_

A minute passed.

**Sounds perfect. We could get some coffee again if you want, then do whatever. **

_Okay. What time do you have to be back to Dalton?_

**There's no curfew on weekends, so no time specifically. Whenever we're done hanging out.**

_I guess we'll see where time takes us then!_

**I guess so. Okay, well I'll let you get some sleep then. Can't wait for tomorrow. Goodnight, Kurt. **

_I can't wait either. Goodnight! _

Kurt was up by 7:00 to start getting ready. He needed to shower and pick his outfit out and be ready to go by 8:30, so he needed as early a start as possible. When he went downstairs and into the kitchen to get breakfast, his dad and Carole were sitting at the table and talking over their morning cups of coffee.

"All set for the day?" Burt asked.

"Mhmm," Kurt said as he grabbed a granola bar from the cabinet and took a bite. "I think so. I'm not exactly sure what our plan is for the day or when I'll be home…"

"That's fine; Carole and I are going out to dinner tonight, so just keep me in the know."

"Will do," Kurt said, throwing his wrapper away. "Have fun."

"You too, sweetheart. We'll see you tonight," Carole said.

"Yup, see you guys later." Kurt grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

The air was cool, and the ground covered in snow. He pulled his coat tighter around him and wrapped his arms around his waist as he walked out to his car. He opened the door and climbed inside, cranking the heat up as soon as he could. He drove the 90 minutes to Dalton, singing along to music and passing the time by trying to come up with ideas for what he and Blaine could do. With the season being what it was, it was more difficult to do this than if it had been summertime.

In what seemed like no time, he arrived to Dalton. He parked his car in the front parking lot and got out to meet Blaine inside to help him to the car. It had snowed overnight, so there was even more snow on the ground than there had been on Thursday.

He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. The inside was warm; the walls were dark wood with paintings over them, the floors light with a giant staircase underneath a glass dome. There were multiple corridors and a couple students walking around with the same uniform that the Warblers had work to Sectionals. Kurt walked around trying to see if Blaine was around, but there was no sight of him so he took his phone out to let him know he was there.

After two rings he heard a soft "Coming!" from around the corner of one of the halls. He turned around to see Blaine striding down the hall.

"Wes told me he saw you pull up," he started. "But where are you exactly?" he asked with a laugh.

"Right here," Kurt said, meeting him halfway and holding his hand out to meet Blaine's.

Blaine smiled when their skin met. "Oh, there you are."

He and Kurt started down the hallway, Kurt leading him towards the door. He opened it and they stepped out into the frosty air.

"It's so quiet around here," Kurt commented.

"Yeah, well, that's weekends at Dalton," Blaine said. "Most people go home on the weekends to be with their families and whatnot."

"Oh," Kurt said. "Do you usually?"

Blaine shrugged. "Sometimes. Not all that often, though."

They got to Kurt's car and he pulled the door open for Blaine and closed it before jogging around to his side to get out of the freezing air.

He hopped in and turned the car on, thankful that some of the heat from his travel was still there.

"How about a hot cup of coffee?" Kurt asked.

Blaine gave a chuckle. "That sounds so perfect right now." Kurt started out down the road and they began talking about Kurt's choice of music.

"_Wicked_? Show choir fanatic?" Blaine asked.

"Of course," Kurt said. "Who isn't?"

"Good point," Blaine replied. "Have you ever seen a Broadway show?"

"No," Kurt said disheartened. "I wish. I've never been to New York."

"I've been a few times," Blaine said. "Once when I was eight, and once when I was twelve, and the last time I was there was when I was fourteen."

"Wow," Kurt said. "You're so lucky; how have you been able to go so many times?"

"My parents. Like I said, they travel a lot for work. That's just a perk."

They pulled into the coffee shop parking lot and made their way inside talking about New York and the shows and music and sat down once they had their coffee.

"Well, if we both get into our dream schools in New York, maybe we will be living there soon enough," Blaine said.

Kurt smiled widely. "For sure. We've just got to nail our auditions, that is. When are yours?"

"Mid February," Blaine said. "Yours?

"NYADA hasn't even told us if we're finalists yet," Kurt said with an eye roll. "It's kind of exasperating."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you have a plan in mind in case you are accepted?"

"But of course," Kurt said with a smirk.

Blaine smiled back. "Let me here it."

Kurt told him about his flawless rendition of "The Music of the Night," from _The Phantom of the Opera_. "I've been practicing it for about two months already," he explained.

"Such a great one," Blaine said. "One of my favorites, in fact. You'll have to let me hear it sometime."

Kurt blushed. "I think we can arrange that," he said.

Blaine gave him a smile and took a sip of coffee. "Well, I'm done. Are you?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah," Kurt said, picking up his cup to check to see if it was empty. "Here, I can throw your cup out."

"Are you sure?" Blaine asked. "I can do it if you want."

"No, I got it," Kurt said taking both of their cups and taking them to the trash across the room. He watched Blaine as he went back to his seat. He watched the way he tapped his right foot to the tempo of the music playing through the shop, how his right hand crossed and rubbed the skin on his left wrist, the way he bit his lower lip and the way his eyes traveled around the room before returning straight ahead.

Kurt got back to his seat and asked, "So, what would you like to do now?"

Blaine thought for a minute. "Well, I have no idea if you would want to do this, but I know that my parents are out of town for the weekend. It's about a 45 minutes drive from here, and surprisingly my house is a lot more comfortable than Dalton."

"That sounds good," Kurt said. They stood up and began their way out.

"Um, is it okay if I…" Blaine held his hand out to Kurt as they approached the door.

"Oh, sure, sure," Kurt said, offering his arm. Blaine wrapped his arm around it and they ventured out into the billowing wind. Blaine gripped it tightly as they went.

"I'm sorry about this; it's just dangerous, you know?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kurt said gently. "I don't mind one bit." Blaine gave him a smile full of gratitude as they reached Kurt's car. They climbed in and began the journey to Blaine's house.

They arrived to Blaine's house just before 1:00. It was a beautiful house, old and brick with vines growing on the sides and located about halfway between Lima and Westerville. There were neither cars in the driveway nor any lights on in the house. They got out of the car and Blaine started his way into the house.

"Do you need help?" Kurt called out, running to his side.

"Oh no, it's okay. I know this way so well that even a patch of ice wouldn't faze me." Blaine pulled a set of keys out of his messenger bag and pushed the front door open.

His house reminded Kurt a lot of Dalton; there were wood floors and warm colored walls with paintings. Kurt saw that the kitchen was to the right and the family room located off to the left that had a giant grand piano inside it.

"Can I get you something to eat?" Blaine asked. "I make a killer grilled cheese sandwich."

Kurt laughed. "That sounds great."

"Okay," Blaine said. "Just one second…"

Kurt watched him tentatively walk into the family room and switch on an electric fireplace before starting into the kitchen. He motioned his hand for Kurt to follow him.

Kurt walked into the kitchen which was slightly more modern looking. It was white, contrasting with the rest of the house. He watched Blaine take out a pan from a drawer under the stove and move across the room to open the refrigerator to take out the ingredients.

"How do you know your way around so well?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I've lived here my whole life. You get used to places that you know really well; here and Dalton, I'm totally comfortable," Blaine explained. "That, and the fact that I had my vision for longer than I've been blind."

"Oh." Kurt looked down. He hadn't thought of that, the fact that Blaine may not have been born blind.

"It's okay though," Blaine said. "Really. I'm doing all right despite my lack of coordination a lot of the time."

Kurt couldn't help but feel bad when they hung out considering all of the complaining he did about things in life when Blaine was so optimistic about all of his. He got up and walked to where Blaine was preparing their lunch.

"As I said before, you're too hard on yourself," he said.

"I know, I know. But hey, in all seriousness, I am a rock star when it comes to grilled cheese. Have a seat and I'll show you what I mean."

Kurt smiled and took a seat at the table across the room as Blaine placed a plate in front of him.

"It looks good, but we'll just have to see," Kurt teased.

"You won't be disappointed," Blaine said as he sat down.

Kurt took a bite. "Not bad at all, Mr. Anderson."

Blaine smiled. "Really? You like it?"

"I do," Kurt said between bites. "The finest grilled cheese I've ever had, and that's rivaling my dads."

"Well, we'll have to have a cook off sometime," Blaine said with a smirk.

They continued eating their lunch and chatting. Kurt told Blaine about his cooking and the Home Ec. class he took last year where he learned how to make every possible shade of all colors for homemade frosting

"I've got a chart with the list of drops of food color you need and everything," he said.

Blaine was laughing. "That's genius, and something I'm sure is very useful in life."

"Hey, you never know," Kurt shot back with a grin.

They finished eating and cleaned up the dishes. The snow was picking up outside, but the fire had warmed the house in no time. They went and sat in the family room, sitting at opposite ends of the couch, leaning against the ends and facing each other. Kurt hugged his knees while Blaine crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap.

"Favorite 2010 Vogue cover on the count of three?" he asked.

"Sure," Kurt said with a smile.

"1…2…3…"

They both responded with "Marion Cotillard." They burst out laughing and Blaine leaned forward and smacked Kurt's leg. "Get out!" he said.

They continued laughing and continued their game back and forth for the next hour. They would disagree over things and defend their point to no end, and on other things they would ramble on about the flawlessness of each one.

It got later, and was around 4:30 when they were winding down.

"Kurt, you should sing for me," Blaine said. "I want to hear 'The Music of the Night.'"

"Ugh, okay," Kurt said as he sat up. As time had gone on he had slumped down and his legs stretched out more, finding him in a more comfortable position. He stood up and straightened his back. "This will be rough, I hope you know," he said.

"Just go," Blaine encouraged. "You'll be great."

Kurt exhaled and cleared his throat, heard the tones in his head before beginning. He closed his eyes and let his voice ring out. He started out quieter but eventually became louder, moving his head and moving his feet around to the music. He lost track of how long he had been singing, but just let himself go. The tune carried him away from the room and to a world of its own. When he finished the song, he opened his eyes to see that Blaine had his eyes closed too. His mouth was open slightly, his breathing slowed and relaxed. He opened his eyes when Kurt sang the last note.

"I didn't put you to sleep, did I?" Kurt asked nervously. What if Blaine didn't like his voice?

"That was…so completely moving," Blaine said. "That was beautiful. Your voice is amazing." Kurt smiled as Blaine spoke to him, and his breath caught slightly when Blaine held both hands out to him. Kurt walked forward cautiously and took both of Blaine's hands.

"I'm sorry," he said timidly. "I just…I wanted to hold your hands. Because even though I can't see you…I don't know. This helps, I guess."

Kurt's breathing grew heavier. He liked being this close to Blaine, their fingers entwined as Blaine sat up on the couch facing him as he sat on his knees on the ground.

"It's okay," Kurt said softly, watching Blaine's eyes. They were cast a direction near their hands, but more to the right, more towards the floor.

After about a minute, Blaine released his hold; Kurt missed the warmth of his hands instantly. He sat back so that he was sitting on the floor facing Blaine. "Thank you," he said quietly.

Blaine smiled at him. "You're welcome."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Kurt spoke up. "Well, I performed for you; how about you perform for me?"

"You've already heard me sing!" Blaine said with a laugh.

"No, I mean…"

"…Yes?" Blaine asked.

"The piano."

Blaine pursed his lips. "Hmmm," he said, like he was thinking.

"Come on, Blaine, I'd love to hear you play." Kurt got up and took Blaine's hands again, helping him up.

Blaine sighed as he went and sat on the piano bench. "Fine, fine." He exhaled, similar to how Kurt did before he started. Kurt sat on the floor and watched Blaine feel his way to place his hands in position on the piano. He breathed in before starting the first notes of a song, his eyes fluttering between being open and being shut as he played on. His fingers graced over the keys, tapping lightly at softer moments and grounding at full force, creating contrast and music in a way Kurt had yet to experience. Blaine even breathed in time with the music and moved, drifting through and within the notes that were ringing out, cascading over and resolving in the most beautiful way. The climax of the song came and Blaine took it as tenderly and as powerfully as anyone Kurt had heard sing. It was something that could not be replicated.

When Blaine finished, he exhaled once more and turned to Kurt and gave a shy smile.

Kurt sat back up and climbed onto the bench next to Blaine, taking his hands once more. "That was beautiful," he said. And that was all. Blaine smiled, their hands lingering together for longer than necessary. They finally let go before Blaine asked if Kurt wanted to watch a movie.

"Is that, uh…okay with you?" Kurt asked tentatively.

"Oh, sure. Don't worry, I've seen most movies multiple times. I can picture them almost exactly," he said.

They went into Blaine's basement to look at an enormous collection of movies that Blaine had. There were three shelves full of DVDs; Kurt had no idea where they would even begin.

In the end, they settled on _Chicago_. They went upstairs to Blaine's family room once more, which had a nicely sized TV and stereo system. Blaine popped the movie in and they both went to settle on the couch. They sat closer together than they had earlier that afternoon, but still a remaining space of distance between them.

They watched the movie and sang alone.

"I'm glad this doesn't annoy you, I can't help myself," Blaine said.

"Same here," Kurt replied.

They sang through the movie as long as they could before drifting off to sleep from the comfort of warmth and each other's presence.

Kurt woke up first. The TV screen was black, the room silent and dark save for the light and crackling fire and Blaine's soft breathing. Kurt sensed a rush of warmth and noticed that he had curled into Blaine's side, his head falling on Blaine's shoulder and their hands laying only inches apart from one another. He wanted nothing more than to snuggle in closer, but he knew that wouldn't be okay, not yet anyways. So he cautiously sat up, causing Blaine to stir.

"Hey," Kurt said softly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

Blaine stretched his arms out. "Oh, that's okay."

Kurt was unsure whether Blaine knew he had fallen asleep on his shoulder or not, so he decided not to bring it up. The room remained silent as both boys recovered from their slumber. Kurt watched Blaine check the time on his watch.

"What time is it?" Kurt asked.

"Just after 9," Blaine replied.

"I should call my dad," Kurt said, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

Blaine sat silently on the other end of the couch as Kurt waited for his dad to pick up.

"Hey, Kurt," his dad finally answered.

"Hi ,Dad. I'm still with Blaine."

"I think you ought to come home, Kurt, the weather isn't looking too good."

Kurt was disappointed, but he knew his dad was right.

"Okay. I'll be home in about an hour," he said before hanging up. "I have to go," he told Blaine.

Blaine sighed. "Okay. I wish you didn't have to," he said with a tiny laugh.

"Me either," Kurt said standing up. "But we'll get to see each other again soon."

"That's true," Blaine said. "You can text or call me anytime this week; can't guarantee I'll answer right awat with rehearsals for Regionals and all, but you know. I'll get back to you."

"Same here," Kurt said, giving Blaine a pat on the arm.

They stood up, Blaine walking Kurt to the door.

"Today was really amazing, Kurt; thank you for everything."

"You're welcome, I thought it was amazing, too," Kurt said back.

They stood in the doorway for a few more moments. Kurt was about to turn when he felt Blaine's hand in his. It was soft and warm and felt so right tracing patterns on his palm and between his fingers.

"Is this okay?" Blaine asked.

"Yes," Kurt said, trying to control his breathing.

"I know it's strange. And I'm sorry, but…I can't actually see you, so I try to in other ways."

"It's okay," Kurt said. _You really see me more than most people I know_, Kurt thought.

They hugged tightly, lingering momentarily, before Kurt turned and began his journey back home.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry that it has been a while since I've updated. Times have been crazy. We find out the cause of Blaine's blindness in this chapter, so it's a big one! **

**Play this at the * watch?v=BgdLdl60EMA**

It was only a little more than two months until Regionals, and time was passing fast.—a little too fast for the New Directions' and the Warblers' likings. Both teams were upping their game for the next competition and in turn, not a lot of time was spent doing much else.

But there was almost always some time to spare. Blaine and Kurt found ways of talking that could incorporate studying simultaneously, and that made things easier. They would discuss their days and their respective glee clubs with Kurt talking about the original songs they were planning and Blaine venting about the pressures of being a leading soloist.

"Yeah, right, like you would complain about that," Kurt said one night as he laid on his bed doing homework with his cell phone tucked between his ear and shoulder.

"It's a lot of work, Kurt!" Blaine said on the other end in a similar position. "I know what you're thinking, but from the sounds of it I'm not Rachel Berry."

"Whatever," Kurt replied.

"I know I can do it, it's just stressful. And besides, you should hear one of those Warbler councils sometime, those guys are seriously insane."

Kurt hummed on the other end and as he finished up his Calculus homework. He wrote the last answer and then flipped his book shut.

"What are you working on?" Blaine asked.

"Nothing anymore," Kurt said as he slid his book into his bag that had been resting next to his bed. "What about you?"

"I'm finishing a stimulating read on how to decipher drama," he sighed. "But I don't think I can take much more. I skimmed and highlighted, that's going to have to be good for tonight."

Kurt heard shuffling on the other end. He put his phone on speaker and started to get ready for bed. He changed into his pajamas and then brought his phone with him into the bathroom.

He listened and talked as Blaine, similarly, got ready for bed. Kurt turned the lights off and crawled under his covers and he and Blaine continued to talk as the darkness of night wrapped their cities. Their talking grew quieter and their eyes started to drop as exhaustion washed over them.

They had been talking slowly and quietly before silence fell between the two. A few minutes passed and Kurt nearly fell asleep listening to the gentle breeze outside that was let in by the tiny crack of his open window combined with the warmth of his blankets and Blaine's soft, barely-there breathing on the other end when Blaine spoke again.

"Kurt?" he said gently.

Kurt breathed in trying to take the moment in and let it take him over before answering. "Yeah?"

"I don't want to hang up."

"Me either," Kurt said.

"Can we not?" Blaine asked.

"Let's not."

And they didn't.

School the next day started off normal. Kurt went to Calculus then English then lunch and was on his way to Biology when a pair of rough hands slammed into his chest and forced him to hit the cold metal of the row of lockers to his right. The impact sent him slinking to the ground and caused him to huff in frustration as he untwisted his bag from around his arm and started to push himself up. Everyone continued walking by without so much as a glance in his direction. He looked down the hall just in time to see David Karofsky rounding a corner.

It was the third time it had happened that week. It wasn't always at the same time or in the same place, but without fail, Karofsky was an expert at infliction of pain upon Kurt, and he was getting past the point of irritation. He wasn't going to mention anything to Blaine again because he didn't care to think about it anymore than he had to, but it was getting out of hand. He quickly took his phone out and tapped a message to Blaine before slipping his phone in his pocket and continuing on to Bio.

Blaine's phone buzzed in his pocket during his history class. He put his hand to it but knew he wouldn't be able to check it until after class when he could listen to it. He was a fan of European history but if it was Kurt, he'd rather hear what he has to say. The remaining 45 minutes of the class went by slower than normal and when it was finally done Blaine dashed out of the room and went straight to the bathroom across the hall. He checked to make sure no teachers were around before opening the message.

_Hey, Blaine. I know this is last minute, but can I come to Dalton today? I just need to talk. _

He smiled and typed out his own response before heading to his next class.

Kurt was a little more than relieved when he read that Blaine would look forward to seeing him after school. He hopped in his car after school and drove to Dalton as fast as the somewhat ice-slicked roads would allow.

He parked his car and texted Blaine asking if he needed to sign in as a guest or anything before coming in. Blaine responded telling him no and that he would meet him at the door.

Kurt grabbed his messenger bag from the back seat and started towards the main entrance. When he got closer he noticed that Blaine was already outside waiting without a coat on.

"What are you doing?" Kurt asked. "You're going to freeze to death!"

Blaine waved his hand. "Whatever. Maybe if you weren't so slow."

Kurt playfully hit his arm as he hopped up the stairs. "Okay, let's get inside then."

Blaine held onto Kurt's arm as they walked inside. "We have to go upstairs," he said.

They climbed the stairs and Blaine ended up guiding Kurt more than Kurt guided him. They walked down a long corridor and took a left turn to a shorter hallway where Blaine led them to the end. Kurt had never seen the rooms at Dalton, but couldn't say he was surprised when Blaine opened the door.

It was a single room with a bed, a dresser, a closet, a desk, a private bathroom and a window.

"Make yourself comfortable," Blaine said as he slid off his blazer and took his tie off. "I'll be right back," he commented as he went into the bathroom.

Kurt set his bag on the floor and took his jacket and gloves off. He looked around the room and settled into the desk chair. He twiddled his thumbs until Blaine came out in a pair of jeans and a t shirt.

"Sorry about that," he said as he went and sat on his bed. "I have to get out of that uniform as soon as possible."

"It's okay," Kurt said as he turned to face Blaine.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Blaine asked as he crossed his legs and leaned against the wall.

Kurt exhaled loudly and let his head fall back and rest on the back of the chair. "Why are there so many assholes in western Ohio?" he asked.

Blaine laughed. "Good question. The world may never know."

"I'm serious." Kurt sat up. "It'd be nice to go one day, one single day, without being slushied or being shoved into lockers or being thrown in the trash."

Blaine leaned forward. "That's all still happening?"

"Oooh yes," Kurt said. "At full force. I'm just really sick of it. Like I said, Karofsky has his own problems to deal with but taking them out on me is getting old. It's been happening all year, as I told you, but it's Thursday and he's done it three times already this week. I expect nothing less tomorrow."

"What kind of problems do you mean?" Blaine asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"I don't know, you keep talking about all of these problems Karofsky has. What are they?"

Kurt bit his lip and thought for a moment. Should he tell Blaine about the incident in the locker room that happened about a month ago? Well, why not, he thought. Blaine didn't know him.

"About a month ago he, um…he kind of…he kissed me." Kurt said.

"He what?" Blaine asked in disbelief.

"He kissed me. I was confronting him in the locker room and it just happened. He grabbed me and kissed me."

It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Kurt?" Blaine finally spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Come here," Blaine said using his hand to motion towards himself.

Kurt tentatively got up from his spot in the chair and went over to Blaine's bed. Blaine had his arm held out and Kurt took it. Blaine pulled him down gently and wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist. Kurt closed his eyes and let his body completely relax into Blaine's hold as he sat down and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck.

They held each other for a minute before Blaine pulled away. "That's crazy," he said shaking his head. He leaned back against the wall and Kurt leaned the opposite way against the headboard.

"Yeah, tell me about it."

"And that's all he's done since the kiss, is push you into lockers and stuff?"

"Yup," Kurt said with a nod. "It's totally weird. I think he's nervous that I'm going to tell someone—which I haven't besides you."

Blaine nodded. "Well I can see how the situation is beyond being durable."

They were quiet for a minute before Blaine asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Kurt answered truthfully. "I really have no idea what to do."

"I could go with you," Blaine suggested.

Kurt sat up. "What?"

"I could go with you…you know, to talk to him. We could talk to him and see if he wants help figuring things out."

Kurt shook his head and leaned back again. "I really don't think he'll go for that. He's in a bit of a sticky situation."

"Is it worth a shot? You never know what could happen," Blaine said.

Kurt sighed. "I guess not. Maybe it would be good for him."

Blaine smiled. "Okay, then. Let's see what we can do."

Kurt was nervous. It was Friday and he was skipping his morning classes to go pick Blaine up from Dalton so that they could confront Karofsky at lunch that day. He knew that it might be a good thing, but he also worried that it would be a not so good thing. Karofsky was intimidating, and Blaine didn't exactly know what he was getting himself into. But he already agreed and he wanted to go through with it deep down—if he could help Karofsky, he would do it by any means necessary.

Blaine was waiting for him outside and this time he got in the car without Kurt's help. They continued their drive back and went over their plan on facing Karofsky. When they arrived, Kurt was feeling much more confident and he thought Blaine seemed oddly calm as well.

Lunch would be starting in five minutes so they headed for the courtyard and climbed up one of the flights of steps to where Kurt knew Karofsky would pass by. They heard the bell ring and a heard of kids started filing up and down the stairs on their way to lunch or their next class. Kurt and Blaine stood against the fence on the side of the staircase and Kurt noticed the confused glances tossed Blaine's way but ignored them; he knew he was just distracting himself. He was starting to wonder but then he saw the familiar red of a Letterman jacket coming down the stairs.

Kurt tapped Blaine's arm and he straightened up from where he had been leaning. Kurt led him over and they stood in front of where Karofsky was coming from.

"Excuse me?" Blaine spoke.

Karofsky looked up and was taken aback to see Kurt standing right in front of him with Blaine.

He scoffed. "This your boyfriend, Kurt?"

Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Kurt and I would like to talk to you about something," Blaine tried again.

"I gotta go to class," Karofsky said as he shoved the two aside and started down the second flight of stairs.

"Kurt told me what you did," Blaine said.

Karofsky stopped in his tracks and turned around. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You kissed me," Kurt hissed.

"It's clear that you might be a little confused, and that's totally normal. This is a very hard thing to come to terms with and you should just know that you're not alone…"

That set Karofsky off. He suddenly rushed towards Blaine and planted his hands on his chest, shoving him forcefully against the fence.

"Do not mess with me," he growled, his face inches from Blaine's.

Blaine held his hands up in surrender as Kurt shoved Karofsky off of him.

"You've got to stop this!" Kurt yelled at him. Karofsky looked back at them menacingly before turning around and continuing on his way down the stairs.

Kurt put his hand on Blaine's arm. "You okay?" he asked.

Blaine nodded. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I thought that might go better."

Kurt rubbed his arm. "It's okay. Let's ditch the rest of the day, okay?"

Blaine turned to. "Want to sleep over?"

Kurt smiled. "Okay."

Kurt called his dad and got the okay. He and Blaine drove back to his house so he could pack up some clothes and his pre-bedtime skin washing supplies before they headed for Blaine's parents' house.

"They'll be gone again," Blaine explained. "Winter is their busiest time. They travel pretty much every weekend."

They got to Blaine's house and went inside as they snow picked up outside. It was 5 and the sun was already starting to set. Blaine did as he did the first time they had spent time at his house and switched on the fireplace.

"Where are we going to sleep?" Kurt called after him as he disappeared around the corner into the kitchen.

"It doesn't matter," Blaine replied. "You can just throw your stuff in the family room for now."

Kurt did as he was told and went to sit on the piano bench, playing a few random notes as he waited for Blaine to come back.

Blaine came and stood behind him. "I ordered a pizza for dinner, is that okay?"

"Of course," Kurt said standing up.

Blaine smiled. "Okay. Do you like Christmas carols?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "That depends. What do you have in mind?"

Blaine took a seat on the piano bench and started tinkling out a few familiar notes. Kurt smiled. Christmas carols may not be his favorite thing, but this was definitely one of his favorite Christmas carols.

*

Blaine leaned back on Kurt signaling for him to start first to which Kurt happily obliged. He leaned down and sang next to Blaine as they sang their way through a unique rendition of "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

They ended up giggling by the end. Blaine closed the cover over the piano keys and stood up. "Sorry, I couldn't resist."

"It's okay," Kurt said between chuckles. "That was fun."

They fooled around and flipped through TV channels when the doorbell rang. "Kurt, could you do me a favor? My parents left some money on the table in the kitchen, could you give that to the pizza guy?"

"Sure," Kurt said as he got up. He went and grabbed a twenty (that was folded inside four other twenties) and went to the door where it had already been answered by Blaine.

"Here you go," Kurt said, handing him the money.

"Thanks, have a good night," the guy said walking off.

They took the pizza and some plates into the family room and ate it on the floor. They had turned the TV off and instead had Kurt's iPod playing over the dock that was hooked up to their sound system. They talked about the songs they would have personally picked for Regionals and laughed over the ridiculousness of their teammates. After a while, Blaine got quieter.

They had finished eating and now where lying comfortably on the floor. The fire crackled and the wind howled outside but the house was otherwise silent.

"Kurt, I need to tell you something," Blaine said breaking the silence.

Kurt turned from lying on his stomach to facing Blaine. "Sure, what's up?"

Blaine didn't continue for a minute before saying, "I want to tell you how I became blind."

Kurt's breath hitched. He wanted to know, of course, but he was afraid to know at the same time.

"Okay," he said softly taking Blaine's hand. Blaine squeezed it back tightly. He exhaled before beginning.

"Okay. It was my freshman year of high school. I wasn't at Dalton yet. I went to the public school that was one town over. And that winter there was a Sadie Hawkins dance. I had just come out, and…I thought it would be fun to ask a friend of mine who was also gay and out of the closet. He said yes, and we were really excited. We went to the dance and…everything was fine, I thought. We danced and had a great time."

Kurt listened to Blaine as he talked. Blaine's breathing was getting heavier and his voice started to crack but he continued.

"We were standing outside in the parking lot waiting for his dad to pick us up. We were just standing there talking when all of a sudden there were these shouts coming from behind us. They were shouting these awful things, calling us names, you know. So we told them to get lost, that we weren't bothering them. My friend was totally scared, so I put my arm around his shoulder and lead him away from the group of guys. But they wouldn't leave."

Blaine was talking faster now. Kurt used his other arm to pull Blaine a little bit closer, his eyes beginning to sting as he saw the tears fall from Blaine's.

"We kept walking and suddenly one of them grabbed me and threw me to the ground. I tried to reach out to find my friend but they already had him held down and away from me. This guy started beating me up, kicking me, punching me, spitting on me…all of that. And I was screaming for help but no one came. And then one of them somehow got a hold of something. It was sharp. I still don't even know what it was exactly. They kept going until his dad got there…they ran off when they saw the car pull in. They never caught the guys and…I have a scar behind my ear and my loss of vision as side effects."

"Blaine," Kurt whispered. He pulled the boy close against him and hugging him. Blaine wrapped his arms tightly around him and didn't let go for a long time. When he finally did he spoke again.

"I'm out, and I'm proud and all of that…but this is my life now. It's completely altered the way I'll live forever. It is what it is, but it's still a bit of a sore spot, you know?"

Kurt nodded and brushed Blaine's curls that had escaped from his gel off of his forehead.

"I can't believe they never found the guys," Kurt said.

Blaine nodded. "Well, I couldn't for the life of me tell you what they look like, and my friend…I don't even talk to him anymore. I don't know what happened after the accident because we moved and his parents told me that he never wanted to talk to me again."

"I'm so sorry," Kurt said. "It makes me so mad…it's not fair."

"I know."

They laid together for a few more minutes. Kurt was the first to break the silence.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"We're gonna be okay," Kurt said giving his hand a squeeze.

Blaine smiled. "I know."

They fell asleep that night holding hands and lying inches from each other. They faced one another the whole night. Kurt would watch Blaine for a while; Blaine couldn't see him, but his eyes would be looking at Kurt. His thumb would rub Kurt's in the hand he was holding. They breathed quietly before drifting off into silence.

Kurt rolled over and picked up his phone and saw that it was 8:00 the next morning. He rolled back over to see that Blaine was still asleep, his chest rising slightly with each breath. Kurt smiled and gently took his blanket off and crept into the kitchen. He looked around and spotted the coffee pot on the other side of the room. He smiled and started to make some for them. He started looking through the cabinets in the house and found some fruit and muffins. He made a small platter of food and grabbed their cups of coffee—Blaine's black with one teaspoon of sugar how he liked it and his with a touch of cream—to take into the family room where Blaine was still sleeping. He set the stuff down as Blaine was rustling under the blankets.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Kurt said adoringly as Blaine ran a hand through his hair.

"G'morning," Blaine mumbled sleepily. He stretched before sitting up fully.

"Coffee?" Kurt asked as he took Blaine's hand and held the mug out. Blaine took it. A tone of surprise took over his voice.

"Kurt!" he said. "You didn't have to do this."

"I wanted to," Kurt replied. "And here, I grabbed some breakfast from the kitchen—I hope that's okay."

Blaine laughed. "Of course it's okay."

They sat wrapped in their blankets with their coffee and breakfast and planned out the rest of what they could do that day.

"I have to be back by dinner," Kurt said. "I have a meeting with the New Directions tonight. It's supposed to be a rehearsal but without Mr. Shue there we'll see what happens."

Blaine nodded. "Okay. Well, that gives us a couple hours then. What do you suppose we do?"

Kurt smiled. "I have a few ideas."


	5. Chapter 5

Was it a date? As much as Kurt wanted it to be, he couldn't be sure. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but as he drove home early on Saturday evening, he couldn't help but wonder. They had held hands, hadn't they? They slept next to each other, and Kurt felt that was a rather friendly thing to do…perhaps more than friendly.

They had spent the entire day together. After breakfast, they went outside to find a world covered in a fresh blanket of snow. They tromped through it and made it to Kurt's car where Blaine told him about an antique shop nearby. They decided to go and check it out, as Blaine had not in a very long time. He told Kurt about how his mom used to bring him there when he was little and let him pick out something for Christmas every year.

"That's where I got this," Blaine said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out an old pocket watch. "I can't read it anymore, of course, but I still keep it on me. It's just a little talisman that's become sort of comforting, I guess."

Kurt smiled as he glanced at the watch out of the corner of his eye. He found it sweet that Blaine still kept it.

"You have a good relationship with your mom?" he asked.

Blaine nodded. "For the most part. Like I said, my coming out was a little bit of a bump in the road for us, but my mom definitely understood more than my dad. She lets me know she loves me no matter what. And that's more than I can ask for. My dad isn't as vocal because I don't think he's open to the idea yet. But I think it was the accident that really strengthened our relationship…after I came out, things were rough, but then everything changed. Put things in perspective."

"Mhm," Kurt nodded. "Makes sense."

They pulled into the shop and Kurt helped Blaine inside. The second they stepped in the door, a big smile spread across Blaine's face.

"You know how they say when you lose one sense that the other four are heightened? Maybe it's because I haven't been here in so long, but the smell of this place is just so overwhelmingly familiar. I remember it so vividly."

Kurt guided him through the aisles and detailed the old items lying on the shelves. A set of old encyclopedias here, dusty reading glasses there, music boxes, worn shoes, pins, and clocks surrounded them.

"Are there any records out?" Blaine asked.  
"I'll look," Kurt said, scanning the room.

His eye caught a display in the back corner. "Let's check this out," he said as he lead Blaine back.

There were old cassettes, CDs, and a shabby collection of records scattered out. A big sign read "60% OFF! BUY NOW!" in big, bold letters above the table.

"They have some!" Kurt said excitedly. He started fingering through the stacks.

Blaine smirked. "What do they have?"

Kurt read some names off. "What you'd expect, I guess…Judy Garland, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Benny Goodman, Gene Kelly…"

"Did you say Benny Goodman?" Blaine asked.

"Yeah," Kurt said and pulled out the record. He handed it to Blaine. "This is it."

Blaine smiled a bit bigger. "I'm going to get this. I have to show you something."

"Okaaaay," Kurt said. "Let's do it."

They went forward in the store and Blaine paid for the record. They headed back to the car and Blaine requested they go back to his house.

They got back and he led Kurt to his room. Kurt hadn't seen it before, and he tried to take everything in. The walls were dark green, and posters and trophies were thrown everywhere. He looked around at the trophies while Blaine approached his bed and felt around so he could sit on it. Kurt tuned out the rummaging around that Blaine was doing and observed all of the awards scattered on the dark mahogany chest on the opposite side of the room. There were the expected glee club type awards, but there were also awards for things like polo, lacrosse, and…swing dancing?

Kurt did a double take. "Swing dancing?" he asked aloud.

Blaine chuckled across the room. "Mhm. I took lessons for eight years."

"You're kidding," Kurt said.

"Nope. My mom made me," Blaine said.

"Oh my God," Kurt said. "I can't- well, I guess I can believe it."

This, too, made Blaine laugh. "That's what the record is for."

"Huh?" He turned around to see Blaine fumbling around to put the record on a record player sitting on the desk next to his bed.

Blaine started the player up and cautiously stood up as big band sounds filled the room.

He snapped his fingers and nodded his head as he made his way in Kurt's direction. Kurt laughed and held his hand out to Blaine. Blaine took it and twisted it to allow Kurt to twirl around his arm. "Mm, I've still got it," he said.

"You sure do," Kurt said through his fit of giggles. They danced around the room a little bit- Kurt was shocked to see how well Blaine actually did still move.

"I can only do this because I've done it so many times. I used to practice up here all the time. That's not to say I haven't had my share of mishaps…"

He moved towards Kurt and reached his hands out, planting one on Kurt's hips and using the other to take Kurt's hand. Kurt looped one of his hands around Blaine's neck and held Blaine's other hand. They danced until the swing calmed down into a song with a significantly slower tempo than "Sing Sing Sing."

Blaine rested his head on Kurt's shoulder. They were silent for a minute before he spoke.  
He pulled back to face Kurt and scrunched his nose a little. "This is embarrassing, isn't it?" A tiny smile spread across his lips.

Kurt cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

Blaine laughed. "I'm a swing dancer. Well, was. And we're dancing to 1940's hits in my bedroom on a Saturday afternoon. I don't know, it seems…not idyllic."

Kurt let out a laugh and brought his hands to rest on Blaine's shoulders. He gently helped him sit down so they were leaning against a smaller chest at the foot of Blaine's bed.

"Believe it or not, this is the most fun I've had in a while. Really. Don't feel…I don't know, don't feel as if you think we should do something else. This is what I want to be doing."

Blaine smiled. "Okay."

They hung out in Blaine's room a while longer, enough to make it through the duration of the record. Sometimes Blaine would show off a move he could still do, often they spent time humming along with the beats and tapping their toes, and otherwise just talking. It was, despite what Blaine thought, a very idyllic way to spend an afternoon in Kurt's opinion.

So as Kurt drove home that night, the sun setting on the horizon in front of him, he pondered his relationship with Blaine. Were they dating? Were they flirting? Was Blaine even interested in him?

And what would the New Directions say?

_

Later that night, everyone met at Rachel's house for a meeting to discuss a plan of attack for Regionals.

There was enough drama within the New Directions, so Kurt hoped that his budding friendship with Blaine wouldn't come up and cause a slew of new problems.

Everyone was sprawled out across her basement arguing over what approach they needed to take to defeat the Warblers.

"They nearly floored us at Sectionals, we need to to bring it hard this time," Mercedes was saying.

"How about another dance routine?" Mike asked. "Mr. Schue did say that the Warblers lack moves."

"No, no, no, all wrong," Rachel intervened. "We need to discuss what approach to take so I know what sheets to look at for my solo."

"_Your_ solo?" Mercedes interjected.

"Yes, _my_ solo. You guys, do we really need to go through this again?" Rachel asked, exasperated.

"All right, all right," Sam said as he held Mercedes back from tackling Rachel. "Let's just think this through, guys. Let's not slit each other's throats before the night is over."

They all nodded and sat back.

"Well, Kurt, you should know their plan," Rachel spoke up. "What are the Warblers planning?"

Kurt's eyes got wide. Nobody besides Tina, Rachel, and Mercedes knew about Blaine as far as he knew. If everyone else found out, it would only mean disaster.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kurt started.

"Oh, yes you do, Hummel," Santana said, cutting him off. "We all know. The truth is out, so don't even pretend you aren't tapping that adorable, blind-as-a-bat dreamboat Warbler friend of yours."

Kurt got red. "It's not like that," he cut in. "We're just friends, we're just hanging out…"

"Sure," Santana said as she got up to get a drink.

Kurt looked around at the rest of the New Directions who were all staring at him expectedly.

"We're just friends, nothing about glee club ever comes up," he explained, the words falling out of his mouth quickly. "Really, guys, it's not a big deal."

They all looked doubtful but Tina saved him.

"I think Rachel's rendition of 'My Man' is a showstopper. What about that?"

Half of the group agreed while half felt they were more entitled to a solo than Rachel.

"Guys, remember, it's about winning and what's best for the team, not your own personal dream of having a solo," Finn stated.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Whatever, I'm pretty sure my solo got us a tie for this thing in the first place, why shouldn't I get a shot?"

Everyone went back and forth and little was resolved. They ended up leaving nothing planned, and Kurt wasn't surprised in the least.

He got back home with Finn around 11:30. Burt was still up watching the evening news. Finn said goodnight and Kurt went in to sit with his dad who he hadn't been able to talk to much in a while.

"Hey, kiddo. How'd the meeting go?"

Kurt sighed. "Nothing resolved. At least no one ripped my head off for my friendship with Blaine."

"Did you expect them to?" Burt asked.

"Yeah, but I don't see why."

Burt snorted. "Oh, c'mon, Kurt. I remember you ranting and raving about that Jesse- St.- Whatshisface last year for weeks. You can't tell me this is different."

Kurt let his head fall back against the back of the chair. "But Dad, it _is_ different. Blaine's not out to get me or the New Directions like Jesse was. It's a totally different situation."

Burt nodded. "Whatever you say, Kurt. I just think you should try and see things from their perspective too. Just try and understand. I'm not saying stop hanging out with the kid, I'm just saying be careful."

Kurt nodded. "You're right. I will be. But I'm really not worried."

"Well okay then," Burt said as he stretched and stood up. "Want me to leave the TV on?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, I'm going to head to bed."

They both walked up the stairs and took separate paths to their bedrooms.

Kurt got ready for bed and crawled under his covers, dreams of amber eyes dancing in his head.

The next few weeks were riddled with more rigorous rehearsal schedules. Blaine and Kurt were able to talk less than they normally could and actually hanging out in person was a rarity.

Christmas vacation had come and gone, and they were a week into school when Kurt got the letter. He knew it instantly when his dad came to school during his lunch to give it to him. They walked to the choir room together and Kurt opened it with shaking hands to find out that he was a finalist for NYADA. His eyes grew wet as he turned around and felt his dad lift him up and jump around, screaming with joy.

"Dad, Dad, please be careful!" Kurt said. His dad left to get back to work and he called Blaine, who was also on his lunch.

"Kurt, oh my God, that's fantastic!" he exclaimed on the other end. "I can't believe it, that's so amazing. I'm so happy and proud of you. Congrats."

Kurt hung up and began his walk to his next class with big, confident steps.  
He stopped at his locker to get his books for his next class when a looming figure approached his right side.

He looked up in time to see Karofsky slam his locker shut. "Hey," he huffed out. "You didn't tell anybody else did you? That you…kissed me."

"You kissed me," Kurt said pointedly. "And no, I haven't."

"Good," Karofsky leered, getting closer to Kurt. "Keep it that way. Because if you do…I'm going to kill you." He gave Kurt a long, hard glare before turning and walking the other way. Kurt's lip started to quiver, and he stood frozen in the hallway by his locker completely unsure of what to do. He was terrified.

Mr. Schuester was walking past and noticed Kurt's demeanor.

"Kurt? Are you okay?" He went over to Kurt, resting a hand on his shoulder and leaning his head down.

Kurt's eyes filled with tears and he just shook his head brokenly, unsure of what to say and unable to speak.

Burt, Carole, Kurt, and Mr. Schuester sat in Principal Figgins' office trying to brainstorm ideas.

"I'm afraid I cannot do anything about this, Hudson-Hummels," Figgins was saying. "There is no proof that David has done this and the school board wishes to focus its attention on other matters."

"Other matters?" Burt sputtered. "A student here said he was going to kill my son, what about that is okay?"

"Mr. Hummel, calm down," Figgins started.

"With all due respect, Principal Figgins, Burt does have a right to be upset. This is very serious," Mr. Schue began.

With not much accomplished, the four left the office.

Kurt was about to head to his next class when Burt and Carole stopped him.

"There's something we need to talk to you about, Kurt."

The next day, Kurt was slipping on a navy blue blazer and knotting a red and blue striped tie around his neck.

It seemed like no time and a whole lifetime simultaneously had passed when Regionals was around the corner.

The New Directions were infuriated that Kurt was transferring, but deep down they all knew it was what needed to happen. It was Kurt's life, and that was more important than a show choir competition.

When Kurt told Blaine that night that he was moving in, Blaine couldn't have been more surprised.

"They told me I could share a room with you if you're okay with it," he said.

"Sure, sure," Blaine said. "I just…you're transferring? Why are you doing this right now, and so suddenly? Not that I'm not happy, I'm just confused."

"I'll explain later," Kurt said.

Kurt got there that night to find another bed placed in Blaine's room. They sat on opposite ends and Kurt told him everything that happened after he called and told him about the letter.

"It was terrifying," he said. "I couldn't even move."

"I understand that," Blaine said. Blaine spent the rest of the night comforting Kurt. They were starting to get sleepy so Blaine went to his bed and they fell asleep.

Kurt had trouble falling asleep. Between Karofsky's threat, the New Directions, his NYADA callback, Regionals, and his confusion about his relationship with Blaine, he didn't know where to begin to sort through everything on his mind. He fell into a fit of uneven sleep and restlessness, willing himself as hard as he could to stop thinking for just a few hours.

Blaine had trouble falling asleep. Between what Kurt had told him, his own nightmares, his impending audition, Regionals, and his confusion about his feelings for Kurt, he didn't know how to control all that he was feeling. He tried his best to silence the thoughts but they just kept coming. He was in mid thought when he heard Kurt moaning in the bed next to his. He turned from his position facing the wall to try and listen to what was happening with Kurt.

Kurt's breathing was picking up and he was twisting around. Blaine could hear it. He knew what that was like. Kurt was scared. And in that moment, despite not knowing how he truly felt, or how Kurt felt for that matter, he just wanted to be near him.

He got up quietly and tried his best to feel his way to Kurt's side of the room. His knees knocked against the bed frame so he got down on his knees and felt around. He felt the mattress and how far Kurt was from the edge. He gently sat on the end and carefully laid down so that Kurt was against his chest.

Kurt's eyes cracked open in confusion.

"Blaine?" he whispered.

Blaine wrapped his arms around Kurt, not saying anything.

Kurt closed his eyes and sighed as he settled into how nice it felt to be pressed against Blaine. They both drifted off into sleep, and for the first time in a while, felt safer than they ever had.

Both were too shy to say anything the next morning. Blaine had gotten up first, gently getting out of bed and finding his way to the shower while trying to not wake up Kurt.

Kurt rolled over. It was a Wednesday, and his first day of school at Dalton Academy. He wanted to make the best impression. He waited for Blaine to get out of the shower. He smiled when Blaine walked out. He looked so much different than that boy who had comforted him last night.

The boy last night had wild curly hair and was wearing a t shirt with sweat pants, no walls or restraints put up. This boy had gelled down hair and a well fitted uniform and an aura of confidence.

He watched Blaine walk around the corner of the bed.

"Kurt?" he called softly. "Are you awake?"

Kurt sat up. "Yup, I'm awake."

Blaine used the sound of his voice to find the bed and sit on the edge. He smiled and held his hand out. Kurt took it.

"Thank you," he said.

Blaine smiled. "You're welcome."

Kurt sat up and leaned closer to Blaine. He wanted to kiss him. He really wanted to kiss him. He wasn't in denial about that, but he was so nervous.

Blaine sensed Kurt leaning forward. He wanted to kiss this boy, but something held him back. He leaned back a little. He didn't see the disappointment on Kurt's face.

Kurt's first day at Dalton went surprisingly well. Even though the academics were pushed so much more here, he managed to keep up, and his teachers were all very understanding. He sat with Blaine and some of the Warblers at lunch, getting acquainted with his new glee club members. They were all very welcoming, unsurprisingly, considering they were getting more help with the competition.

Kurt took the rest of the week in stride. They had rehearsal every day after school from 4:30 until 7:30, and that was enough to take him out. He kept up with homework and tried to talk to Mercedes when he could.

It was the night before Regionals at rehearsal when things started to fall apart. Some people were starting to question the arrangement of Blaine's solo, and that's when things got out of control. People were fighting over whether Blaine should even have the solo, others just cared about the arrangement, others didn't understand why they were fighting in the first place. They left rehearsal in a bitter mood and feeling uneasy for the day ahead.

Blaine and Kurt got to their room. Kurt was, though he didn't want to say it, a little upset. He didn't know how he felt about Blaine singing anymore either, as it sounded like he was the only one who ever did. He was silent as he started taking off his uniform.

"I can't believe them, they're acting completely irrational," Blaine was saying as he similarly started to undo his tie and slip off his blazer.

Kurt didn't say anything as he changed into his pajamas. He took a few stolen glances as Blaine changed as well. He almost didn't feel right about it. They had been changing in front of one another all week like it was totally normal, and they had slept together that one night. Other than that, things were as they normally had been.

"Kurt?" He hadn't even noticed Blaine calling his name.

"Huh?"

Blaine chuckled. "You're so quiet."

"Oh." Blaine had pulled the same pair of sweat pants and the same shirt he had been wearing all week. Kurt couldn't stop looking at him.

"Are you okay?"

Kurt looked at Blaine who had laid down on his bed. He was stretching out, the curls falling on his forehead and his shirt riding up to reveal his stomach and a patch of hair trailing down it.

"I'm sorry, Blaine, I just don't even know what to think right now."

Blaine turned his head. "What do you mean?"

Kurt lost it. He completely lost it.

"I mean that I have no idea what the hell I'm doing, or how to handle everything that's happening to me right now. I have no idea how to feel about you or how you feel about me and it's so fucking confusing that I am ready to tear my hair out," he cried full of exasperation. "I am torn between feeling so much I want to scream and feeling so numb that I just want to lay in bed all day and never talk to anyone or do anything. I am so sick of being in the middle that I just need to-"

He was so into his rant that he didn't pay much attention to Blaine standing up and walking over to him. He didn't realize it until Blaine held his hand out and it met Kurt's stomach. He fisted it and pulled Kurt closer. Tears were streaking down Kurt's cheeks and his breath quickened as Blaine grabbed him.

"What are you doing-" he gasped.

Blaine cut him off with a kiss, warm and wet against Kurt's mouth. Kurt moaned as Blaine pushed him a little and they stumbled back onto Kurt's bed. Blaine lay on top of Kurt and kissed him gently, lazily.

He finally pulled away and Kurt looked up at him.

"Is that what you meant?" Blaine asked, his voice cracking.

Kurt sighed and brought his fingers up to run through Blaine's hair. He answered by leaning up and planting another kiss to Blaine's lips.

"That's exactly what I meant."

Kurt and Blaine knew they shouldn't have stayed up as late into the night as they did.

They couldn't help it once they started.

"I'm sorry if that caught you off guard, Kurt, I just needed to do that. I wanted to kiss you, and I've wanted to but-"

Kurt silence him with another kiss. The lights had long been turned off and they were snuggled tightly under Kurt's blankets, Kurt being held in Blaine's arms.

"It's okay," he said softly. They laid in silence, breathing so close to one another but in a whole new sense this time. The hand holding had been nice, but being held like the way Blaine was holding him was nothing in comparison. It was different even than when Blaine had held him during his first night at Dalton. It was safe to assume now that Blaine felt the same way, and that was at least one more thing settled.

They were facing each other, occasionally placing lazy kisses on each other's lips. They would giggle if Blaine misjudged and kissed the corner of Kurt's mouth or closer to his cheek, but it only made him try again. They were awake deep into the night and fell asleep in a shared embrace, no sense of worry even from Regionals crossing their mind.

The nerves from Regionals came later in the day on Saturday. They had arrived on time and were signed in and in the warm up room. Some of the steam had blown off from the previous day, but tensions were a little stronger than before Sectionals.

Kurt was on his way to the green room when he saw his former teammates. He grabbed Mercedes and gave her a big hug.

"Good luck, Boo," she said with a wink before parting ways. He smiled at the rest of the New Directions, and they did the same. It was a weird feeling, but he was okay with it when he felt a slight tug on his sleeve and looked forward to see Blaine smiling at him clad in an identical uniform.

_It could be worse_, he thought.

They were up second once again. They went after Aural Intensity, who, much to their disappointment but not surprise, had a custom set list to pander the panel of judges. Kurt had warned them.

But then they stepped out. Blaine had a solo once again, and Kurt couldn't help but beam with pride as his boyfriend killed this piece he had been working so long on. When he was done, the crowd went wild and he bowed humbly. The group then burst into their second and final song, a real crowd pleasing rendition of "Raise Your Glass." They walked off the stage feeling proud of their work, and perhaps a little too confident.

They took their seats in the audience, and Kurt would be lying if he said he felt a twinge of jealousy at seeing them kill their original songs. But he was happy for them, and he cheered proudly at the end of their set.

At the conclusion of all the performances, it was time to find out the results. They joined the other two groups on stage and awaited their fate to see if they would be traveling to New York together.

The announcer was completely corny as expected, and the kids waited anxiously. Mr. Schue waved to Kurt as he passed and he actually had to admit that he missed the guy despite their rocky start at the beginning of the year.

"Let's just see who won, huh?" the announcer asked.

It felt as if the whole room held their breath as she took the card out.

She looked up, a smile on her face.

"Congratulations, the New Directions, you're going to Nationals in New York!"

The Warblers bowed their heads and bit their lips as the New Directions cheered and hugged each other. Kurt watch Mr. Schue get handed the trophy and felt a pang of jealousy that all of his best friends were going to New York, his dream city, without him. He tried to be happy, but the sadness still lingered.

But then he felt a tug on his sleeve. He turned to see Blaine patting his back. He smiled back at him, wishing he could see him give him the smile that said everything was okay. He put his hand pack to squeeze Blaine's.

It could definitely be worse.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry that it has been a while! I've been super busy but I like to have updates be long-ish rather than short-ish. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Get ready for some partying ;)**

"So, Kurt, are you going to join us for the Rachel Berry train wreck house party extravaganza?" Mercedes asked on the phone one night.

Since Kurt had moved to Dalton, regular late night phone calls were typical for the pair. Blaine would listen to music and study while Kurt talked to her, and the system ended up working out nicely.

"I don't know," he replied. "I mean...I will be with Blaine, I promised him we'd hang out this weekend. We'd have to drive to Lima and all of that when we were planning on going to his parents' house..."

"But we miss you!" Mercedes pleaded. "And plus, you know your dad would love to see you."

"True," Kurt replied.

"And besides, Blaine could come too, you know."

Kurt scoffed. "Yeah, right. You know how Rachel feels about him, she told us herself, loud and clear."

"Try talking to her," Mercedes supplied. "She might come around. Besides, the competition is over now."

"Yeah, don't remind me," Kurt remarked bitterly.

"Hey now, I'm just saying, Kurt. We all really miss you. Even Rachel. Just ask her, okay?"

They hung up the phone that night and Kurt thought it over. It couldn't hurt to at least _ask_ Rachel...

"Rachel, it's not even going to be about competition," Kurt pleaded the next day at lunch over the phone. "It's just a night to _let go_ before the competition- please, pretty please, can he come? It's not even like we're going against each other anymore. You're being ridiculous."

She huffed over the line. "Kurt, do you realize how dangerous it could be to let him come? Or even for me to let _you_ come? You guys could take notes in your minds about our weaknesses or try to get us really drunk and reveal our secrets or something! It would be a total. Disaster."

"You're really ridiculous! We're not even competing against each other! And besides that, he's not like that Rachel, and neither am I. You know this, I mean how long have we known each other? Come on. Just trust me."

"Why should I, Kurt? I mean, how do I know you guys haven't turned into super, top secret spies or something? Hmm? How do I know you won't try to sabotage us somehow for Nationals?"

He rolled his eyes and let out a big sigh. "You're insane, you know that, right? You do know that you are the only person in the group who thinks like that?"

"Because I care about this team, Kurt-"

"-And so do I," he cut off shortly. "But this is not about that. This is about some friends getting together to have some fun. I promise it's not as big a deal as you're making it."

She was silent a moment before speaking. "Fine, he can come. But I'm not talking to him!"

Kurt let out a sigh of relief. He was too excited to be mad. He thanked her and ran off to the cafeteria; he didn't want to wait a minute more to ask Blaine about going to the party.

"Kurt, you're really good with clothes," Blaine said as he sat down on his bed after lunch that Saturday. "Can you help me pick something out to wear tonight?"

They had decided to just stay the night at Dalton since they weren't going to Blaine's parents', and had just returned to pack up their things and head to Lima for the rest of the weekend.

"Sure," Kurt said, wandering over to the other side of the room to look into Blaine's closet, sitting on the bed and moving to wrap his arm around Blaine's shoulder. Blaine wound his arm around Kurt's waist and rested his head on Kurt's shoulder where it fit comfortably.

"See anything that can be put together to be halfway decent? I know it can't be all that great, considering my mom picks a lot of my casual clothes out."

"No no no," Kurt said. "It's not bad at all." And honestly, it really wasn't that bad. He had a few pairs of nice jeans, some cardigans, a couple t shirts, a whole drawer full of bow ties, and some more stylish shoes besides his usual shiny black penny loafers that they always had to wear as part of the ever-dapper Dalton uniform.

"I think this would work well, in fact," he said as he got up and pulled out some dark wash jeans and a red cardigan. He set them next to Blaine on the bed. Blaine felt the articles next to him. "What are they?" he asked.

"Just some jeans and a red cardigan," Kurt said as his eyes swept the rest of the wardrobe. "And this..." he said as he grabbed a t shirt, "...would go well underneath. It's a white and black striped shirt. It'll look great on you."

Blaine smiled. "Thanks, Kurt."

"No problem," Kurt said, sitting back down on the bed. He bent down and planted a gentle kiss on Blaine's unsuspecting lips. He felt Blaine's lips turn up into a smile as he placed more playful kisses on his upper and lower lips, leaning back with Blaine wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist. They hadn't been officially together for long, and this was about as far as they would go every time. Whenever things would pick up, they would get interrupted or come up for air and just cuddle for the rest of the time they shared together. And this time was no exception- Kurt's phone alarm went off a minute later.

"Shit," he said, sitting up. He leaned over and grabbed his phone, seeing it was already 12:30. "We should get ready," he said, going over and zipping up his overnight bag.

Blaine did the same and started changing into the outfit Kurt picked out for him. Kurt couldn't help but- quite guiltily- watch Blaine lift his shirt off his head, stretching out his arms and seeing the skin expanding over his slightly toned stomach. He watched Blaine unzip his jeans and replace the boxy gray slacks with form fitting jeans. He really did look great. Kurt couldn't help but want him more and more every day.

"Ready to go?" Blaine asked, pulling Kurt out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah. Let's head out."

They very carefully tugged their suitcases down the grand staircase and out to Kurt's car and began their journey back to Lima.

Spring was just around the corner. It was the second week of March, and the snow that had existed into the first few days of the month had finally melted away out of the yards and city streets. There was little green to be seen around town, but the weather was at least a little warmer, and both Kurt and Blaine only needed a light jacket to keep them comfortable and warm.

Blaine was more than a little nervous to meet Kurt's dad. Kurt had told Blaine a little about Burt already, and he sounded a bit intimidating, but he wasn't going to let that stop him from spending the weekend with Kurt's family. It's a step that everyone must take in a relationship, and it was about time that Blaine took a leap of faith.

They pulled up into Kurt's driveway, and the sound of the gear shifting to Park and Kurt singsonging, "We're here!" made the butterflies flock to Blaine's stomach.

He started to get out of the car and he heard Kurt pop open the trunk. He made his way to the back of the car carefully and helped get their bags out of the back. Kurt held Blaine's hand as he led him up the driveway and through the front door.

"Dad! Carole! Finn! I'm home!" Kurt shouted. He kept a tight, protective grip on Blaine's hand and led him into the living room.

"Your house has a scent," Blaine commented.

Kurt blushed. "Huh? Is that bad?"

Blaine laughed. "No. It's just that...you know how everybody's house kind of has a distinct smell to it, but your own doesn't? I don't know, maybe it's just a heightened sense, but your house smells...I don't know, like something I can't describe in one word. It's flowers and a home-cooked meal and well worn furniture. It's nothing like my house," he said with a laugh. "And-"

He was cut off when he heard another person walk into the room.

"Hi, Dad!" Kurt said as he got pulled off the couch and into his dad's strong arms.

"Hey, kiddo! Long time no see! How are ya doin' down there at that new fancy school of yours, huh? Man, I got so much to tell you, we've got to-"

"Dad!" Kurt cut in. "That sounds great, but there's someone I need to introduce you to."

Blaine shuffled a little from his place on the couch. He smiled and started to stand up when he felt Kurt's arm around him, helping him up and guiding him over to where Burt was standing.

"Dad, this is Blaine. Blaine, this is-"

"Burt," Burt said, extending his hand out to meet the one that Blaine had tentatively held out already. "It's great to finally meet you, Blaine. I've heard a lot about you from my son."

"It's nice to finally meet you too, Sir," Blaine started.

"Burt," he was reminded.

"Okay, Burt," Blaine started again with a little less uneasiness. "Thank you so much for letting me stay here with your family for the weekend. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Burt said. "You're welcome here anytime. Now, where's Carole? Carole!" he called.

Kurt rubbed his hand up and down Blaine's back while they waited for Carole to come in from the kitchen.

"Hello, boys!" she said cheerfully, wiping her hands on the apron around her waist.

She pulled Kurt into a tight hug before waiting to be introduced to Blaine.

Kurt barely got his name out when Carole was pulling Blaine into a hug as well. "It's so good to finally meet you, sweetheart. Kurt has told us all about you."

"I've heard about you all as well, it really is great to be here and meet you all finally," Blaine said.

Carole released him and they stood around making small talk until Finn lumbered up down from his room.

"Hey, dude!" Finn said, pulling Kurt into a hug.

"You guys ready for a party?" he asked, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"We sure are," Kurt said. "Right, Blaine?"

"Right...yeah, of course!" he said, a small smile on his face.

"Cool. And hey, I can drive us," Finn said.

"That works," Kurt said. "Give us an hour and we'll be ready to go."

Kurt led Blaine downstairs to his room so he could pick out an outfit for the evening.

"Blaine, are you okay? You seemed a little uneasy when we were talking to Finn," he said, scanning his closet.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Blaine said from across the room where he was sitting on Kurt's bed.

"You really don't sound fine," Kurt pressed.

Blaine let out a huge sigh. "Well...I am just a little worried that your friends won't like me. We were the competition, and I just don't want things to be awkward."

Kurt went over and sat next to Blaine. "Blaine, I told you, they want to meet you. It's going to be really fun, Rachel's even going to bust out her dad's liquor supply-"

Blaine let out a laugh. "Really?" he asked. "We're going to be drinking?"

Kurt stopped suddenly. He hadn't taken two seconds to think to ask Blaine his opinion on drinking underage. "Well yeah, but it's just going to be a small party, just for us glee kids, and we'll have a designated driver, and her parents won't be home so we won't get in trouble, and-"

"Kurt, it's fine," Blaine said gently. "I don't have a problem with drinking. I was just surprised, honestly!"

Kurt laughed. "Oh, okay. Well good- it should be a fun time, really. You have nothing to be worried about."

He got back up and returned to his closet where he worked on coordinating some pants with a button-down, bright red shirt he found.

A bit later, Blaine and Kurt were climbing the stairs to meet Finn and head over to Rachel's.

On the way over, Finn made small talk with Blaine about football, a mutual interest of theirs, while Kurt hummed quietly and watched the world pass him outside the window. It felt so nice to be there with his boyfriend and his brother, even though he couldn't care less about football.

They pulled up into Rachel's driveway, and Kurt looked over at Blaine. He had been resting his head on the back of the seat, his eyes shut and taking deep breaths.

Kurt helped him get the door open and met him on the other side.

"You're going to be fine," Kurt whispered encouragingly, giving Blaine a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth before pulling him lightly towards the door.

"Welcome!" Rachel greeted, pulling the door open. "Hello, Kurt...Blaine...so good to see you. I've heard...a lot about you," she said distractedly.

Kurt and Blaine started making their way down the stairs as Finn talked to Rachel. The rest of the New Directions were already scattered about the room; Brittany was sitting on the washer next to Artie, Santana and Sam were making out on the couch, Quinn was reading a book in the corner, and Tina, Mike, Lauren, and Mercedes were talking in another; Puck was already digging around the liquor cabinet on the ground, grunting occasionally.

A container of wine coolers sat on top of a chair. Rachel quickly scooted past them and grabbed a roll of paper tickets.

"We are serving wine coolers today; everyone gets two drink tickets to keep things from getting out of hand," she explained, handing them their tickets.

Kurt and Blaine walked away as she scolded Brittany for sitting on the washer. "See? That went well," Kurt said.

"Yeah, I guess," Blaine said. He gave Kurt a reassuring smile.

The calmness did not last long. Five minutes later, they heard Rachel yell "Let's party!" from across the room.

And the "two wine coolers" rule was out. The next thing they knew, "Like a G6" was blasting from the stereo system and Puck was hauling out every alcohol container in sight.

"Let's go get some drinks," Kurt said.

They walked over to the bar where Puck and Lauren were mixing all the drinks.

"Evening, boys. Care to try some of Puckerman's Special this evening?"

"Just give us a drink, Noah," Kurt said impatiently.

Puck shrugged his shoulders and handed them two drinks in red Solo cups.

They walked back over to where everyone else was and shared a seat on a piano bench and watched Quinn, Mike, Tina, and Mercedes play beer pong.

"Having fun?" Kurt asked, leaning in to knock their shoulders together playfully.

Blaine lifted his cup. "If I'm not, I will be soon," he said with a smile before bringing the cup to his lips and taking a long sip. "I'm kidding. I am having fun, I just need to get to know everyone..."

As if on cue, Mercedes came over in a fit of giggles. "Kur...Kurt! You've...you've got to...got to come play this game! It's sooooo great," she slurred.

Kurt gave a tight smile. "I think I need another drink first. Mercedes, this is Blaine. Introduce yourself while I go get us more drinks."

Mercedes took Kurt's spot on the piano bench.

"Hiiii, Blaaaine. Do you remember me?" she asked.

"Um, maybe?" Blaine tried, turning to her.

She laughed. "Mercedes! I'm Kurt's best friend...we talk on the phone, like, every night..."

"Oh, _you're_ Mercedes!" Blaine said with a laugh. "Of course I know who you are, you're, like, Kurt's best friend, right?"

"Mhmmm," she said, trying to get the straw that was in her drink to her mouth.

"Well it's nice to finally meet you," he said, giving her a light pat on the back.

She rested her head on his shoulder, still smiling when Kurt got back.

"I like him, Kurt," she said, swinging her feet back and forth on the bench.

He laughed. "I'm glad, Mercedes. Blaine, here's your drink..."

Blaine took it, dropping his empty cup in the trash next to him and taking a swig of the new drink he was handed.

"Whoa, this is different," he said.

"It is?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine answered. "A lot stronger."

Kurt took a sip. He felt a new degree of warmth pass down his throat, lasting longer than the previous one had. "Mmm," he said, reveling in the heat, "You're right. It is different; I like it."

"Me too," Blaine said, drinking more and looking up towards Kurt through his thick eyelashes.

Kurt felt a push of breath leave his chest, seeing Blaine's bright hazel eyes shine through his dark lashes, noting Blaine rub a hand back and forth over his thigh. He always did that out of habit, and it drove Kurt crazy. Not that he'd ever tell Blaine that...

"C'mon, you two, let's go play," Mercedes said, standing up and taking both their hands to lead them over to where Tina was yelling at Mike for missing an easy shot.

Speaking of shots, they were everywhere. Kurt gaped at Quinn as she downed three in a row, one right after the other.

Blaine couldn't see what was going on, but he had a good enough idea. And he wanted in on the fun as much as he could. He used his cane to get around the room and enabling himself to get more drinks whenever he wanted. He lost track of how many he consumed before Puck started handing out shots strictly.

He would, of course, always bring Kurt a shot or two as well. It didn't take long for them to pass the point of tipsy.

Finn wandered over to Kurt around 11. "Hey, Kurt, you think we should head out maybe?" he asked.

"Yeah right!" Kurt yelled back over the music. "This is too much fun! Let loose a little, Finn!"

Finn huffed. Blaine was standing next to them. He moved his hand up, moving it around Finn's shoulders.

"Hey, it is so cool that you and Kurt are brothers! Right? I mean brothers, wow! You're so tall..."

Blaine trailed off. "See, Blaine's having fun, aren't you, Blaine?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Blaine yelled. "This is the best party ever!"

Blaine and Kurt wandered away together, nearly falling on their way.

They wound up in a small circle with Quinn, Mike, Tina, Sam, and Santana.

Kurt noticed Quinn giving Sam her Queen Bitch Death Looks as Santana sat nearly on top of him, her arm slung around his neck and placing kisses on his cheek and neck.

"So, Blaine, you guys did really well at Regionals," Tina said politely when conversation was dwindling.

"Oh, thank you," Blaine said. "It really sucks that we didn't win, but whatever. It was fun, you know?"

"Oh please, hobbit. Don't try to be the bigger person here, you're probably mad as hell that you didn't win," Santana interjected.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Not everyone is as wicked as you, Santana, and I will back Blaine up by saying that I am genuinely happy for you all too."

"Whatever," she said, "I don't buy it for a sec-"

"-pin the bottle! Who wants to play spin the bottle?" they heard Rachel calling suddenly from across the room.

Everyone looked at each other. They were already in a circle when Rachel jumped in the center with an empty wine cooler bottle. "Make room, guys, here I come!"

She plopped herself next to Kurt as Finn, Mercedes, Brittany, Artie, Puck, and Lauren joined them.

They all giggled as Brittany volunteered to be the first to spin the bottle.

It landed on Sam, and they shared a very hot, messy kiss in front of everyone.

Kurt could feel the heat from the alcohol rising up through his stomach and continuing on to his face. He was blushing, he could feel it. Watching Sam and Brittany go at it got his heart pumping, hoping and praying that when he spun the bottle, that it would land on Blaine. Or did he really want that? Making out with Blaine in front of all of their friends surely wouldn't end well. But he wouldn't want to with anybody else in the group, so maybe that really was the best choice...

He didn't have much time to think about it, because it was his turn to spin. He missed when Rachel spun the bottle, landing on Quinn. Both of the girls went totally red and shared an almost too innocent kiss before pulling away and quickly shifting the attention to the fact that it was Kurt's turn.

Kurt felt his breath go shallow, the warmth of Blaine's hand which had been resting on his lower back leaving him as he leaned forward to spin the bottle. It seemed like time slowed down, the bottle flying at the speed of light as it spun past all of his friends.

It started to slow down, and he settled back onto his heels, not blinking as the bottle continued to spin. Finally, it came to a stop, nearly pointing directly at Kurt, but not quite...

A breath left him. He turned his gaze to his boyfriend, touching his hand lightly. "I got you, Blainey," he said, his speech slurring slightly.

He watched Blaine's lips turn up into a small smile. He didn't say anything, just moved his hands up to cup Kurt's face and gently pulled him forward, their lips meeting messily in the middle.

It was wet and hot, and Kurt couldn't hold back the moan that built up in his throat. He grabbed the back of Blaine's head, feeling the soft curls at the nape of his neck that had broken loose after the past few hours.

Blaine barely broke apart for a second before repositioning himself, moving one hand down to rest on Kurt's hip. Kurt could hear Blaine's breath quickening as the kisses themselves quickened, becoming more intense.

"Get a room!" Puck called.

Kurt pulled away, slightly embarrassed.

"That's not a bad idea," Blaine said boldly.

"Wha-" Kurt started as Blaine stood up. Blaine reached his hand out.

"C'mon, Kurt. Let's go."

Kurt looked up at the boy in front of him; his shirt hanging off his shoulder, his cardigan completely unbuttoned and his jeans tighter than they had been earlier. He couldn't control his want, his need to be alone with him.

Kurt didn't say anymore before standing and taking Blaine's hand, leading him to a distant room in Rachel's house.

They ended up in what appeared to be a guest room. The walls were dark, and an already-made, queen sized bed was. Not much else took up the room.

Kurt pulled them inside and shut the door. He was instantly pushed up against it, Blaine's lips attacking his jaw and neck.

Kurt couldn't help the shaky breaths rocking out of him. He had never been this intimate with another person, and the alcohol coursing through his body only heightened each sensation.

"Bed," he panted out, lightly pushing Blaine towards the bed, guiding him to it until Blaine sat down, pulling Kurt with him as he lowered his upper body onto the mattress.

Blaine took Kurt's lower lip into his mouth and started alternating between biting it gently and sucking it between his own lips, running his tongue over to soothe it.

"Ugh, Blaine," Kurt said, his hips bucking down beyond his control.

Blaine moaned back in response, his mouth pressed against Kurt's neck- not kissing, letting his hot breath out in gasps as he moves his hips against Kurt's in response.

Kurt wanted to change positions, so he pushed himself off Blaine. Blaine whined at the loss, reaching his hands out to feel for Kurt.

Kurt took both of Blaine's hand, intertwining their fingers and moving to inch himself onto the bed so that he was laying down fully. He used his grip on Blaine's hands to pull Blaine down on top of him.

Blaine sighed as he settled on top of Kurt. The needy, sporadic kisses that were controlling them earlier settled to lazy, methodical kisses that allowed their breathing to slow. Blaine traced his tongue over Kurt's lips before kissing them and moving down to his neck.

Blaine licked and sucked his pulse point. Kurt's hands went from roaming over Blaine's back to moving to the bed sheets. He fisted them as he felt Blaine unbuttoning his shirt, never stopping his path down Kurt's neck.

He lifted himself off the bed to help Blaine slip the shirt off and throw it on the ground. Blaine kissed Kurt's lips before moving his hands to feel Kurt's chest.

As he did so, Kurt opened his eyes to help Blaine out of his shirt. He felt Blaine shiver as he slipped the cardigan off his shoulders and the shirt over his head.

He saw Blaine's hesitancy as he lay himself back on top of Kurt. Kurt's head fell back at the touch of skin on skin, Blaine's heat and his combining and contrasting with the cold room and sheets.

The touch was all they needed to quicken their pace. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and pulled him closer, their lips crashing together messily. Kurt sucked Blaine's top lip into his mouth, eliciting a gasp from the other boy. The taste was almost all alcohol and a hint of the spearmint gum they had each had earlier, the scent was Blaine's cologne and sweat, and the only sounds were their soft pants that filled the room.

Their hips started moving together, slowly at first, but then faster.

Sighs of relief from the released tension came from both of them as they reveled in the feelings of their cocks sliding against each other through their jeans.

It was almost overwhelming, but Kurt didn't want to stop.

"Kur-Kurt," Blaine said.

"Yeah?" Kurt was rubbing his hands slowly but roughly against Blaine's back in time with their hips.

"I think...I think I'm going to, uh..."

"Oh..."

Shit. How did they get to this point? One minute they were meeting Kurt's dad, another they were playing a friendly game of beer pong, and now here they are, sweating and rutting against each other and giving the other pleasure beyond anything they could have ever given themselves. Kurt decided it didn't matter. They were young, they were in love, and this was a time to be adventurous.

"It's okay, Blaine." he said softly.

Blaine dropped his head on Kurt's shoulder.

"Are you sure? How are you doing? I mean..."

"I'm close," Kurt got out in a gasp. He really was; he could feel the familiar warmth in his stomach and he knew it wouldn't be long.

Blaine started moaning, moving his hips a little faster against Kurt's. Their hips slipping against each other and their pants were all that filled the room now, and they were both coming undone.

Blaine came first. Kurt heard the quick intake of his breath, his hips moving with no rhyme or reason, sporadically moving against Kurt's. It drove Kurt over the edge, and he gasped as he came underneath Blaine. Blaine rubbed his hands soothingly over Kurt's back and neck while he rode out his orgasm.

When he finished, his body went limp as he calmed down. He let out deep, shaky breaths as Blaine rolled over onto the other side of the bed, allowing Kurt to breathe easier. He turned so they were on their sides and facing each other. Blaine reached his hand out tentatively and found Kurt's cheek, gently caressing it before leaning in to plant a kiss there. Kurt took Blaine's hand in his and kissed it before flipping over and snuggling his back to Blaine's chest. He smiled as Blaine wrapped his arms around him and drifting off into sleep together.


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry, I know this is insanely short for a chapter of this story but I just had to update it when I could, and this is what I could get out in the time I had. Enjoy!**

It was a bit awkward to say the least when Finn came romping into the bedroom they occupied the next morning.

"Hey, dudes, Rachel made breakf-Oh...sor, sorry," he mumbled as he quickly backed out of the room.

Kurt and Blaine's bodies were still intertwined. Kurt's eyes cracked open at the sound of Finn's voice and clumsy departure. He looked down and saw that Blaine was awake too. He smiled and moved his hand up to run his fingers over Blaine's cheek.

"Good morning," he whispered before planting a kiss on Blaine's lips.

"G'morning," Blaine said, stretching his legs a little before reaching out to wrap his arms around Kurt.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Mhm," Kurt said. "Like a baby after...that."

Blaine smiled. "Yeah...that was really...I'm just so happy, Kurt."

"Me too," Kurt said softly. It was true. A few short months ago there was no way he ever thought he would find someone like Blaine...and there he was.

After breakfast with the New Directions, they went back to Kurt's house to get cleaned up before he took Blaine home.

"Sweetie, can't you stay for lunch?" Carole asked.

"Well, I do have a bit of homework I have to do, and I wouldn't want to intrude-" Blaine began.

"Oh, nonsense!" she said. "We'd love if you stayed. Wouldn't we, Burt?"

Burt grunted from his spot in the living room. He was watching a big football game and therefore was rendered incapable of actual words or paying attention to much else.

Blaine laughed. "He must be busy."

"Football," Kurt said with an eye roll.

"Oh! I used to love to watch football," Blaine said. He said it so enthusiastically but Kurt couldn't help but feel a little sad. "Who's playing?" he asked, turning in Burt's direction.

Kurt helped Blaine get to the living room and sat next to him on the couch.

Burt was explaining something enthusiastically to Blaine, who was attentively listening.

He heard a little "Ahem," from the kitchen to see Carole with a knowing smile on her face.

"I think we are going to do lunch, Carole," Kurt said with a smile.

"Oh, good!" Carole said, running off into the kitchen to start cooking.

"Sorry," Blaine mumbled.

Kurt gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Don't apologize. This means I get to see you longer! That's not a bad thing, is it?" he asked softly.

Blaine smiled, scrunching up his nose a little. "I hope not."

They intertwined their fingers in the small space between them on the couch. Kurt leaned his head on Blaine's shoulder as Blaine listened to the game, cheering with Burt and groaning when the other team scored. He smiled and snuggled closer. He never wanted this to end.

After filling their stomachs with soup and sandwiches, they all sat around the living room to finish the football game when Blaine got a call from his mom.

He went into the kitchen to answer it before coming back into the living room and resuming his spot on the couch. He leaned over to Kurt. "Hey, my parents wondered if we could stop there and eat dinner before going back to Dalton. Would you be okay with that?"

"Sure," Kurt said. He hadn't yet Blaine's parents, but he figured he couldn't keep that up forever. This was it.

After saying their goodbyes, Kurt and Blaine headed out to Blaine's parents' house. They had the windows rolled down as the first peaks of spring air filled the space around them. The music was playing just loud enough on the radio, something they could share and revel in together.

"I guess I know how you felt now," Kurt said with a nervous laugh as they turned the last corner onto Blaine's street.

"Are you nervous?" Blaine asked, confusion and surprise masking his voice.

"Don't judge me," Kurt said. "You know how it feels!"

"True," Blaine supplied sympathetically. "It'll be fine, trust me. They'll love you."

"Will they?" Kurt asked uneasily.

"Yes," Blaine replied confidently. "Don't worry, okay? My mom actually sounded really excited on the phone. She really wants to meet you."

"Well, we'll see, I guess; here we are." Kurt said as he pulled into the driveway. Blaine reached over and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before getting out of the car and starting up towards the door.

Kurt stayed behind Blaine as he opened the door and started inside.

"Mom? Dad? We're here," he called. They could smell dinner from the kitchen and a moment later, a tall, slender woman with long, black hair came from around the corner.

"Blaine, sweetheart, you're home!" his mom cried, pulling her son into a tight hug.

He could hear them talking quietly before pulling apart. "Mom, this is my boyfriend, Kurt."

Kurt smiled shyly and extended his hand. "It's great to finally meet you, Mrs. Anderson."

She smiled and shook his hand. "Same to you, Kurt. I can't tell you how much I appreciate what you've been for my son," she said kindly.

"Where's Dad?" Blaine asked.

"He's just taking a shower, he'll be down soon. Come in and sit down, you two, we've got some catching up to do!"

They sat in the family room and Kurt talked about himself a little bit, his upcoming audition for NYADA included.

"That's quite impressive," Blaine's mother said. "Blaine here applied to some schools in New York too...although I still don't know if they're the best option..."

"Mom," Blaine said with a sigh.

"You're right, you're right," his mom said with a wave of her hand. "It's none of my business. I wish you the best of luck with that Kurt. Maybe the two of you can keep each other company in that big city."


	8. Chapter 7, Part 2

**My last update was sooo short, so here's a little part 2 :)**

*****I just need to say, THANK YOU so much for all of the reviews and alerts and favorites. It means the world to me, really. I love you guys for reading. I hope I'm not letting you down! I haven't responded to my reviews in a while (I haven't had much spare time lately, hence the short updates), but I will make every effort to do that now. Anyways, I'm rambling. Thanks again!**

**P.S. Play the youtube link when you get to it! ;)**

They heard the shower stop running upstairs, and ten minutes later Blaine's dad was coming down the stairs. Kurt squeezed Blaine's hand a little righter, and in return Blaine rubbed a soothing thumb across Kurt's knuckles. "You'll be fine," he whispered in Kurt's ear.

They heard him rummaging around in the kitchen while Blaine's mom continued making small talk and trying to get to know Kurt. Kurt, his voice rising slightly in pitch as his nerves increased (not something he needed), was telling his mom about his old glee club when his dad came into the room carrying a glass of ice and some sort of amber liquid.

"Oh, hi, Honey!" Blaine's mom said when he came in.

"Hello," he greeted, turning to Kurt.

"Hello, Mr. Anderson!" he responded, standing up and extending his hand. Mr. Anderson gave him a curt nod and a tight lipped smile before moving to sit in a chair across the room.

"Kurt was just telling me about how he applied to schools in New York, just like Blaine, sweetie. Isn't that great?" his mom asked with a kinder smile on her face.

"If Blaine even does go to New York," his dad said before taking a sip of his drink. "I'd be lying if I said I don't have doubts of _that_ happening."

Blaine shifted uncomfortably on the couch. His mom laughed it off before turning to Kurt. "It sounds like a lovely school, Kurt, and I wish you luck with your audition. When is it?"

"Two weeks," Kurt said with a sigh. "I'm so nervous."

"Don't be," Blaine interjected encouragingly. "He's going to be great," he directed towards his parents but meant for Kurt also.

Kurt smiled at him and grabbed Blaine's hand again. Mr. Anderson's eyes fell on their hands resting on the couch. He cocked his head.

"Hm. Judging by this, I'm going to guess that Kurt is not just a friend, Blaine?"

Blaine froze.

"Nicholas..." his mom said in a warning tone.

"I'm just making an observation," he said shrugging, feigning innocence.

Blaine's mom gave him a pointed stare.

It would have been great to say that the timer dinged in the kitchen, signaling dinner and bringing an end to the awkward conversation brewing, but no such luck.

"Yes, Dad, Kurt is my boyfriend, I'm happy to say."

His dad nodded. "Okay, then. Good. I'm going to get another drink."

_A saving grace._

He left the room.

"Sorry," Blaine said softly. "He'll come around, I promise."

Kurt nodded.

"Kurt, I hope you like lasagna. I'm making my grandmother's recipe for dinner; it's his favorite." his mom said warmly.

"My mom always makes it on the off chance that we're all home on the same weekend," Blaine said with a smile.

A warm feeling filled Kurt's chest. It made him happy past the point of words to see Blaine's relationship with his mom, one of openness and kindness. One that he would, but could never have, with his own mom.

Dinner finished cooking. Kurt helped Blaine set the table while his mom took the dinner out of the oven. His dad fixed himself another drink, ignoring when Mrs. Anderson offered him a glass of wine.

Dinner wasn't as bad as their beginning conversations went...mainly because everyone was busy eating. Kurt could see why this was Blaine's favorite.

After dinner, Kurt and Blaine had to go back to Dalton despite his mom's protests.

"I do still have homework, Mom. And don't worry, it'll be the end of the year before you know it."

She hugged him tight as she said goodbye before moving on and hugging Kurt too.

"It was nice to meet you, Kurt."

"You too, Mrs. Anderson," he said with a smile. He turned his head and saw Mr. Anderson mumbling something in Blaine's ear before shaking his hand.

"Kurt," he said, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you too, Mr. Anderson," Kurt tried.

His dad just hummed.

"We'll see you boys soon, I hope?" Mrs. Anderson asked.

"Sure," Blaine said. "Soon, hopefully."

The boys left and got into Kurt's car.

"Well, that went...well?" Kurt said.

"I thought so. I told you my mom would love you."

"But what about your dad?" he asked.

Blaine didn't answer right away.

"It'll be okay. He's still, like, coming to terms with it and everything. He blames my sexuality for my accident and everything, and he's trying to be cool about it, but...I don't know, it's hard. But he's trying."

Kurt nodded. He wasn't going to take it personally. He was just going to turn up the radio and forget his worries, just for a little while.

They got back to Dalton at 8 P.M. Blaine shed his cardigan and pulled out some his books to start his studying.

Kurt was laying on his bed and taking notes. He glanced up a couple times, noting the tenseness in Blaine's back and shoulders. His head kept dropping down, a habit he did when he was frustrated or upset. Kurt set his pencil down and got up. He grabbed Blaine's iPod from his bedside cabinet and put it on his doc. He had been listening to Frank Sinatra's "Nothing But the Best." He found a song and turned it on low.

( watch?v=mIUY3PO4E0g)

Blaine let out a small laugh.

Kurt went over and wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"You seem tense," he whispered.

"I'm okay," Blaine said. "I'm tired."

Kurt moved his arms down and took Blaine's hand, pulling him up gently. "C'mere."

He pulled Blaine into a tight embrace before guiding him over to his bed.

"Lay down on your stomach for me."

"Kur-"

"Please?" Kurt requested. "Let me do this for you."

Blaine complied. He laid down and felt Kurt straddle him before moving to work his hands soothingly over Blaine's back.

"Mmm," Blaine hummed. "You've always been good at that."

Kurt smiled. "Thanks. I hope it lets you relax, if only just a little bit."

Moments passed. Soft touches, sighs of pleasure coming from Blaine's mouth.

Kurt licked his lips before moving to tug gently at Blaine's shirt. Blaine lifted himself up to allow it to slip off easier.

Kurt worked his hands over Blaine's hot, smooth skin a few minutes more before bending down and whispering in Blaine's ear, "Saturday night was fun."

Blaine laughed. "I wondered when you would bring that up."

"It felt good," Kurt said.

Blaine nodded in agreement before moving to flip onto his back.

"You want to help me relax?" he asked.

Kurt's breathing quickened. "Mhm."

He felt Blaine's fingers running softly over the waistband of his pants; it was soft enough to give him goosebumps.

He shivered as Blaine moved his hands up, bringing Kurt's shirt with it.

Kurt lifted his arms, helping Blaine out.

And then he laid down, laying down to meet Blaine chest to chest, heart to heart.

Blaine couldn't see Kurt, but he could feel him. His skin, nice and hot against his own, his breath coming out in soft gasps between his lips. He lifted his head to meet Kurt's lips, warm and wet between his own.

He couldn't help but moan as he felt Kurt slip his tongue past his lips. He wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him closer.

Kurt sighed. He pulled apart for a minute. Blaine opened his eyes for a minute, a small smile spreading on his lips. Kurt looked into his amber eyes, the light shining through the fog.

"I love you," Kurt whispered.

Blaine moved his hand up, running his fingers through Kurt's hair before pulling his head down gently.

"I love you too," he said, the ghost of his words tickling Kurt's face. He smiled, bending down to press another kiss to Blaine's lips.

"I really want a dog."

They were laying in Blaine's backyard a couple weeks later, April just around the corner. The air was sweet and cool, the wind blowing the grass and tickling their bare toes.

Kurt gave him a quizzical look. "A dog?"

"Yeah!" Blaine said, sitting up and resting his arms on his on his knees, letting his head drop back.

"And may I inquire as to where this revelation came from?" Kurt asked, a smile playing on his lips at his boyfriend's excitement.

"Because they're fun and nice and loyal and perfect," Blaine said.

Kurt laughed. "I guess those are good reasons."

"Mhm. I know. So someday I'm going to get a dog."

"Maybe I'll buy you one," Kurt said.

Blaine's grin grew and he crawled towards Kurt. "Is that a promise?" he said, delight in his voice.

"Sure," Kurt said. "What kind do you want?"

"A big one." Blaine answered.

"Gee, that helps," Kurt replied sarcastically. He grabbed Blaine by the shoulders and pushed him down, straddling his hips and giving him a kiss.

Blaine laughed. "Well maybe I don't know what kind yet!"

"That's okay," Kurt said between kisses. "It's safe to say you have time to figure it out."

They laid in the grass, sharing quick and lazy kisses when the first one hit- a rain drop.

Kurt gasped and looked up. A series of rain clouds had come out of nowhere, darkening the sky and causing the rain drops to begin to fall faster and faster, soaking their clothes and bodies completely.

Blaine let out a little scream and grabbed Kurt's hand. "C'mon, let's get inside quick!"

They dashed into the house, gasping for air between sprints and spurts of laughter.

Their laughter and rumbles of thunder were all that filled the dark house.

The silence happened quickly; the shift in the air nearly instantaneous.

Blaine's mouth moved towards Kurt's first. Kurt cupped Blaine's cheeks with his hands, stroking and pushing away droplets of water.

He sighed as Blaine dropped his mouth to kiss his jawline before continuing down to his neck.

"Blaine," he sighed. Blaine pushed him towards the stairs. Kurt led the way to Blaine's room.

It was dark. They didn't bother with lights.

Spurts of laughter were replaced with gasps for air and moans when their lower halves brushed together just right.

"Kurt," Blaine started. Kurt planted a kiss to his lips.

"Kurt?"

"Hmm?" Kurt was making his way down Blaine's throat, unbuttoning his shirt at the same time.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Blaine." Kurt said. He wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck and began thrusting his hips against Blaine's. "I love you so much."

Blaine grunted.

"I just want you to know how much you mean to me," Blaine tried again. "I need you to know...how much I love you. If you'll let me."

Kurt stopped kissing and leaned his head sideways on Blaine's shoulder. "I do know-"

"I know," Blaine said, kissing the top of his head. "But I wanted to show you in a different way."

It was a moment before Kurt let out a breathy reply. "Okay."

Blaine sat up and turned Kurt so that he was now sitting on the bed facing away from the headboard. Gently, Blaine lowered Kurt so that he was laying down.

He kissed Kurt's lips before moving down and starting to unzip his pants.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"Yes," Kurt said softly.

Blaine undid the zipper fully before peeling back the jeans and pulling them off.

Kurt's cheeks were flushed, but he couldn't help but feel completely free and wanting more.

Blaine rubbed Kurt's thighs soothingly before moving his fingers to tease the waistband of Kurt's briefs. He shivered.

Blaine took it as a sign to move on; he slipped his fingers beneath the material.

Kurt couldn't help the moan that escaped him. It filled the room as Blaine moved the briefs all the way down, taking Kurt in his hand.

Kurt closed his eyes and tilted his head back, trying to control his breathing.

"Blaine," he breathed out. "This is, that feels-"

Words escaped and disappeared as he felt Blaine's warm tongue scan the length of him.

"Oh-oh, oh my god," Kurt whined through gritted teeth.

Blaine let his tongue trace lazy patterns over Kurt's erection before moving his mouth to the head.

He teased Kurt, letting Kurt writhe beneath him before taking him completely.

Kurt was gasping as Blaine worked on him. Blaine reached up to take one of Kurt's hands, intertwining their fingers as he continued.

"Blaine, I'm, um...I'm close, Blaine," he got out.

Blaine kept going, a little faster. The feeling was too much. He squeezed Blaine's hand as he came undone, so far gone he didn't even question Blaine's mouth remaining latched into him.

When he rode it all out, he let out the biggest sigh yet.

Blaine brought up his briefs back up, slipped his own pants and shirt off and curled up around Kurt and wrapping his arms around him.

He kissed Kurt's temple lightly as his breathing calmed.

Kurt turned so that the two were facing each other. He started to tug Blaine's sheets over them before wrapping his arms around Blaine's waist.

"Thank you," he said softly.

Blaine kissed him in return. "I really do love you more than anything in this world, Kurt."

"I love you too."

They started to drift off into sleep before Kurt spoke again.

"Hey, Blaine?"

"Hmm?" he hummed softly.

"Can we do something tomorrow?"

"Of course," he answered sleepily. "What do you want to do?"

Kurt kissed Blaine's lips and moved his fingers up to brush a curl off his forehead.

"I wondered if you would come with me to my mom's grave."


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello! Lots of updates on this story lately :) Once again, thanks a million for all of the reads, alerts, favorites, and reviews. They mean the world to me. This is a very special chapter for a number of reasons, so I hope you enjoy!**

_Kurt went and saw his mom on a particularly chilling December afternoon. The gravestones were layered with snowflakes, a scene lacking green grass and the array of flower arrangements that Spring would undoubtedly bring. _

_His breath became visible and he began to rub his hands together in an attempt to warm them up._

_He took the familiar path to his mom's grave- walk straight, take a right, walk straight, go around the pond, take another right..._

_His mom's grave wasn't near many other people's, and it was rare that any other person was there besides his dad._

_He would go, set his flowers down, and sit cross-legged and dry-eyed. Most days he sat in silence. _

_On that day, after setting the bouquet of red roses down, he spoke out loud. _

"_Mom, I just met a boy...and I wish you could meet him because I think you'd really like him."_

Blaine took his hand when they got out of the car.

The grass had returned and there were rows of flowers of all colors around the gates at the entrance and in front of the dozens of headstones in the park.

The wind kissed their cheeks as they made their way past the gate.

"What's it like here?" Blaine asked as they entered the graveyard.

Kurt was biting his lower lip, running it between his teeth.

"It's pretty enough I guess...if you overlook all the headstones." A hint of sadness came to his voice. "There's flowers everywhere, trees, a pond...it really is a nice place, though."

Blaine smiled. "It sounds like it's beautiful." It came out as barely a whisper.

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

Blaine could hear the leaves on the trees rustling and the water. He wished more than anything that he could see it.

He couldn't help but feel a little resentful about the fact that he couldn't see the green grass or the blue water or all of the colors of the flowers.

And when this feeling came up, he couldn't help but be furious with himself for being upset over such a small loss when Kurt was mourning a much bigger one.

"You okay?" Kurt asked suddenly. "You seem tense."

He gave Kurt's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine."

They rounded the last corner and Kurt could see his mother's grave in the distance.

They walked along the edge of the water and stopped a few feet in front of the stone.

"We're here," Kurt said simply.

Blaine moved to rub his hand up and down the small of Kurt's back.

Kurt moved to sit down, followed by Blaine.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. The sounds of spring surrounded them with sensations of grass brushing against ankles and wind brushing hair.

"What does it say?" Blaine asked.

Kurt didn't answer right away. He cleared his throat before speaking shakily. "Um...it, it says-"

Blaine heard a sniffle.

"Her name...'Elizabeth Jane Hummel. Beloved wife and mother. March 23, 1967- August 7, 2000.' There are vines growing on the bottom of the stone now...there's these little, um, red rose buds. They weren't ever here before."

Blaine thought he could hear a hint of a smile in Kurt's voice. He leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Blaine turned away from Kurt then. He turned and reached out, trying to feel for the stone. He moved forward on his knees until his hands hit it.

He sat back on his heels. He was silent for a minute as Kurt watched him with curiosity.

"Um...hello, Mrs. Hummel. My name is Blaine Anderson."

Kurt closed his eyes. The tears that hadn't fallen since the day of the funeral finally came.

"I'm, um...I'm a friend of Kurt's. Maybe a little more, I guess you could say. Kurt told me about how much you loved him, and how sad you said you were that you wouldn't be able to see him grow."

"He's a wonderful person, Mrs. Hummel. If I were telling the complete truth, I'd say that I love him. You have an amazing son, and I know you must be so proud of him."

"I'm sad that I won't get to meet you in person, but I'm happy to be able to talk to you here and now. Kurt said you were so beautiful and kind, and I believe it. If it's okay with you, I'd like to come back and talk to you again sometime. It's nice to finally meet you."

The only sounds in the air now were the wind, the water, and the birds.

Blaine rubbed a hand down the side of the grave before moving back to sit beside Kurt again. He heard Kurt's sniffles and put an arm around Kurt's waist, pulling him close.

Kurt fell into Blaine's side, his head resting on Blaine's shoulder.

"I miss her," Kurt said, the tears falling and dampening Blaine's sweater.

Blaine pulled him in to hold on tighter.

"Hey, Bud. How's it going?"

Kurt and Blaine's parents both wanted them home for dinner (Blaine's especially, considering how rare it was that they were home two weekends in a row), so they parted ways for the evening until Kurt picked Blaine up later.

"Good." Kurt went into the living room where his dad was watching yet another football game. "Where's Finn and Carole?"

"Shopping," his dad said with an eye roll. "Carole forced Finn out of the house. You should have seen it. What did you and Blaine do today?"

Kurt shifted in his seat. "Hung out. We went out for breakfast this morning and then...we, uh...we went to see mom."

His dad turned to look at him. "You did, huh?"

Kurt nodded, looking down. "Mhmm."

"How did that go?"

"It was...really nice. I'm glad we went," Kurt said softly.

"I haven't been in too long," his dad said. "I'm so glad you still go to see her. She loves that, you know."

Kurt held his skepticism in his head. "I know," he said.

"She loved you so much, Kurt."

Kurt just nodded.

"And I love Carole so, so much. More than I've loved anybody in a long time. But I'll always love your mom, you know. She was...she was an amazing woman. And she would be so proud of you."

Kurt didn't understand why everybody kept saying that. What was there to be proud of?

"Did Blaine enjoy going to see her?"

"I think so," Kurt responded. "He introduced himself and talked to her. It was nice. I'm glad that he was the first person I took to see her. Have you ever taken Carole?"

Burt was silent for a minute. "No. But she wants to go."

"Why don't you?" Kurt asked.

"Because it still hurts," his dad said, strain in his voice. "Because I miss her, and I don't want...I don't..."

They heard Carole and Finn walk in. Burt brushed his eyes.

"Dad," Kurt said quickly. Burt turned to look at him.

"Take her sometime, okay?"

He nodded as the rest of their family walked into the living room.

"All right, the Buckeyes are playing!" Finn said enthusiastically. "Hey, Dude," he said casually, sitting next to Kurt on the couch.

Kurt greeted him before turning back to his dad and offering him a smile.

"Kurt, I need to talk to you," Finn said later that night before dinner, coming into Kurt's room.

"Sure, what's up?" Kurt asked. He was picking out some lighter clothes to bring to Dalton for the weekends since the weather was warming up.

"Well, the New Directions have been talking, and um...well, uh..."

"Finn, just spit it out!" Kurt said, as he flung his closet open.

"We want you to come back to McKinley."

Kurt stopped moving.

"What?"

"Well, you see, Karofsky came and talked to us. All of us. And obviously we wanted to kick the crap out of him, but he's dating Santana now I guess, and-"

"Wait, what?" Kurt interrupted.

Finn waved his hand and shook his head. "I don't know, don't ask me how that happened...but, all I know is that they started this new group at school...the bully beats or something? But anyways, they go around the school and try to get rid of bullies-"

"Hold up," Kurt started. "Karofsky? Stopping bullies? How in the world-"

"No, dude, listen. All of us discussed it, and Santana has your back. She said Karofsky changed. And he's willing to meet with you at school with Figgins, Burt, Mr. Schue, and his dad to talk about it and apologize."

Kurt couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did he want to go back to McKinley? Yes. But did he want to leave Blaine? And have to face Karofsky again? Absolutely not. He was torn.

"Just think about it, Kurt. And remember, I've got your back too. We all do." He gave him a pat on the shoulder for good measure before going downstairs.

Kurt sighed and took a seat on his bed. Now what?

He brought it up on the car ride home. Maybe he should have thought about it a little more, but he couldn't wait.

"You're going to what?" Blaine was confused.

"It's not a for sure thing yet...I'm not 100% sure I'm going to transfer back yet...it's just to, to talk with Karofsky-"

"Kurt, he threatened to kill you," Blaine cut in. "He's a serious threat to you! You can't go back to school with him around..."

"Blaine, I can handle it, I think. I just...I miss my friends so badly. And my old glee club. Don't get me wrong, the Warblers are great, but it's not the same."

They were still arguing over it when they arrived to Dalton and got back to their room. By that point they were both getting mad.

"You're being ridiculous," Kurt said exasperatedly.

"No, you are," Blaine said back. "I can't believe you're even considering this, I just can't."

"Why aren't you being more supportive?" Kurt cried. "You're being irrational."

"Um, maybe because I care about you? Ever think of that?" Blaine shot back.

"Why the hell are you getting so upset? This is my life, Blaine. I can take care of myself."

"Oh, good for you, Kurt," Blaine said, as he took off his cardigan and whipped it in a corner. "I'm so glad that you can take care of yourself. But maybe, just maybe the reason that it upsets me is that sometimes things happen that are beyond your control? Maybe I'm upset because I love you and I'm concerned about you? I'm so sorry for worrying about you and not wanting you to end up like me, truly I'm sorry."

Blaine stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

Kurt closed his eyes and felt his tears fall past his eyelashes. Why wouldn't Blaine feel that way? Why would he want him to transfer back? And he couldn't fathom why he should or would expect anything else from him.

He heard the shower running. He stripped down to his undershirt and briefs as he listened to the running water.

A few minutes later, the water shut off. He listened to the rustling around the bathroom and got up as the door opened.

In an instant, he glued his lips to Blaine's. Blaine stumbled back a little in surprise, but Kurt caught him and guided him over to his bed. He hit the lights on his way and turned Blaine so that he could lay on top of him.

He kissed him fast and soft, sucking gently and guiding his tongue over Blaine's warm lips. Blaine was breathing heavy as he wrapped his arms around Kurt's neck, pulling him closer.

"Kurt," he started.

"Shh," Kurt said, kissing Blaine's mouth, silencing him.

Blaine's chest was still wet, allowing their chests to slide against one another easily. Blaine moaned as Kurt positioned himself between Blaine's spread legs and started moving his hips. Their erections were rubbing together, allowing a painful pleasure that left both wanting more.

Blaine moved his hands down and tugged at the waistband of Kurt's briefs. Kurt lifted his hips, allowing Blaine to slide them off. Next, he moved down and peeled Blaine's off. They had never both been fully naked with each other before; everything was new and right.

Their soft moans elicited pants and gasps from one another. They had to be careful as to not be heard from outside.

Things started moving before either realized or could help it.

"I want to."

"I love you."

"I need you."

Blaine pulled the lube and condoms that he kept in his bedside drawer out.

He didn't think things would progress to that level, but at friends' insistence from experience with their girlfriends, they advised him otherwise. He was grateful for it now, because it felt so right. It was time.

He moved so Kurt could lie on the bed on his stomach.

He slowly positioned himself so that he was straddling Kurt's legs and coated his finger with the cold liquid.

"Are you ready?" he asked gently, rubbing his fingers through Kurt's sweaty bangs.

A nod gave him his answer. He leaned to kiss Kurt's temple before inserting the first finger.

Kurt gasped and tensed up immediately. Blaine slowed down, letting Kurt get used to him.

He heard a soft okay before going on, going a little further before putting in another finger. Kurt was so warm, and it was driving Blaine crazy.

He carefully finished preparing Kurt before Kurt twisted his head around.

"Blaine, c'mere."

He put his hands on either side of Kurt's arms and crawled closer to Kurt's face. Kurt kissed his lips, hot and powerfully. "I'm ready," he said.

Blaine nodded. "Okay."

He gently rolled the condom onto his own erection and felt for Kurt.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly.

"Blaine, please," Kurt pleaded.

He moved forward. He moved just barely inside Kurt-

It was hot

and tight

and searing

But it was also intensely relieving

and forming

and perfect.

He started moving.

Slowly at first, guided only by Kurt's soft moans.

"Blaine?"

He stopped immediately. "Are you okay?"

He pushed his hips back in response, causing Blaine to enter him completely.

Blaine's forehead fell to Kurt's back as his breath left him.

It was so much at once.

Not just the sensation of entering Kurt for the first time, but the amount of love he felt for a boy who saved him from a world of darkness.

Kurt had helped to turn on the light.

And in that moment, he felt like he could see again.

He could nearly see Kurt's gasping eyes, his blown eyes, and his pale, naked skin that Kurt so often complained about.

"Kurt, I love you," he said as he began to gain control and move again. "I love you so much, Kurt. I love you."

It was spilling out of his mouth, and he couldn't help it. It just kept coming. He could hear Kurt-

"I love you too. I love you, Blaine."

Blaine kept moving and reached around and under Kurt to grab Kurt's cock. He started moving his wrist.

Kurt let out the loudest moan yet and started moving his hips, moving against Blaine's dick in one motion and Blaine's hand in the next.

"Shh," Blaine hushed, "Baby, you have to be quiet."

Kurt stifled his moans into the pillow.

They were moving in time, and as Blaine neared his climax, his hips found less rhythm and becoming sporadic thrusts.

"Kurt, I'm close," he gasped.

"Me too, Blaine, keep going. Just keep going."

Blaine squeezed his eyes shut, moving his hips faster, harder, deeper.

And when it came he saw sparks.

He grunted in time with his thrusts until all of him was spent. His head fell as he continued his hand moving until he felt Kurt's warm liquid pooling over his hand.

He let out a sigh as he gently pulled out.

Kurt was shaking and grabbing for Blaine.

They found each other's hands and gripped tightly, Kurt pulling Blaine against his chest.

Blaine's breath came out in heavy gasps and Kurt tried to maintain his own.

He stroked Blaine's damp curls and hushed him to help the fight for air.

They fell asleep holding each other close, legs entwined, feeling their hearts beat against each other.

And Blaine was certain that if he could see Kurt right now, he'd never need to dream again.


	10. Chapter 9

**Sorry that it has been so long – I started college at the beginning of September, so things have been absolutely crazy! Thanks for all of the support for this story. Every favorite, alert, review, and even read count means the world to me. Sending love your way, awesome reader! :) 3**

Rain was pouring the next morning.

It was gray and wet outside, and the curtains billowed from a slightly cracked window.

Kurt was warm. He was strangely warm, considering the chilled air that was entering their room. He shouldn't feel this way.

He breathed in and took in the faint scent of sweat mingling with Blaine's cologne. It was so close. He snuggled closer to the body next to his, succumbing to the sensation of warm skin on skin.

Blaine sighed, gently whispering Kurt's name before running fingers through Kurt's hair and pulling him closer.

Kurt cracked his eyes open. He put his hand up to rest on Blaine's chest, where his heart was. He felt the heart beating so close to his, and smiled before pressing his lips there.

He felt Blaine's finger linger under his chin before gently tilting it up so that he was looking into Blaine's eyes.

"Good morning," Kurt said, a smile forming on his face. "What time is it?" he asked, turning around to look at the clock on their nightstand.

He turned back around and snuggled closer to Blaine. "It's 5 in the morning," he said.

"Really?" Blaine replied sleepily.

"Mhmm," Kurt hummed. "That means I get two more hours to hold you."

They laid in silence for a few minutes. Kurt thought Blaine had drifted off to sleep. He whispered an "I love you," before feeling Blaine pull him even closer.

"You know what I really want?"

Blaine and Kurt were sitting in the shade of a tree on the grounds of Dalton one afternoon doing their homework when he asked. Spring was well underway, and the weather was perfect for outside studying in the soft grass.

"What?" Kurt asked between flipping through the pages of his textbook.

"A dog."

Kurt stopped what he was doing and looked over at Blaine who was lying on his back, his hands behind his head as he stretched out in the grass. a

"Why do you want a dog?" Kurt asked with a small laugh.

"Because they're cute and nice and fun. And just all around awesome?" Blaine replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Hmm. I don't know, Blaine. Dogs are a lot of work. Especially if you get a puppy."

Blaine smiled. "Yeah. I really want a puppy. Plus, I'll be out of school for summer in a couple months! I'd have plenty of time to train him!"

"And what about when you go to school?" Kurt countered. "You're not bailing on going to New York with me just because you have a dog here." Blaine turned on his side, facing Kurt.

"_If_ I go to New York. I'm so nervous, Kurt. After watching you last week, I just can't imagine myself in comparison."

Kurt sighed and flipped his book shut. He crawled over to lay next to Blaine. "Blaine Anderson, you know for a fact that you have nothing to worry about. I've heard you practicing in the piano room for months, the same song...you're totally got it, and you're going to nail it."

"That makes one of us who's confident. You'd think being the lead singer of my school's a Capella group would make me invincible, wouldn't you?"

Kurt laughed lightly and crawled closer, running his fingers through Blaine's hair. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you."

Blaine pulled him closer, planting a kiss on Kurt's lips. "That's all I need."

Blaine's audition was on a Thursday afternoon. He had decided on "Something's Coming" from _West Side Story _after much deliberation.

Kurt was there that day. He had helped Blaine pick out an outfit the night before. They were going through all of the contents of Blaine's closet.

"How are you feeling?" Kurt asked when they finally had it picked out.

Blaine sighed, taking a seat on his bed. "I'm feeling pretty good, I think."

"Really?" Kurt asked. "Blaine Anderson is finally giving himself a break?"

Blaine let out a soft laugh. "I just feel like there's nothing I can do now, you know? It's going to go how it's going to go."

"That's true," Kurt said, sitting next to Blaine on the bed. He pulled Blaine a little closer and planted a kiss on his temple. "And you're going to do amazing…" He plants a kiss on his temple on the other side of Blaine's head. "And you're going to make that scout accept you right then and there." He kissed Blaine's closed eyes. "And you're going to come to New York with me and we'll take the city by storm. Can you see it now?"

Blaine smirked at the pun. "I can see it more clear than anything," he said as he smiled, pulling Kurt down on top of him.

They giggled softly, kissing gently before become more needy, more heated. Blaine held Kurt close, with strong, tight arms. Kurt wrapped his arms around Blaine's neck, letting his fingers roam through the soft curls at the base of Blaine's head.

Blaine started to roll his hips up, creating friction in the space between their legs. Kurt's forehead dropped onto Blaine's shoulder in ecstasy, a broken moan escaping between his lips. Blaine moaned back in response. Though they knew they couldn't be very load (Dalton had thin walls), but sometimes the sensations of each other's bodies against the other, the faint beads of sweat that formed so easily on Blaine's forehead, and soft redness of Kurt's swollen lips made it impossible.

"You taste so good, Kurt," Blaine whispered, licking across his jaw and down to his neck. "They say people who lose one sense have their other senses heightened, you know. You're intoxicating."

Kurt gasped as Blaine nipped gently on his pulse point. "Blaine…"

His hands reached for Blaine's dress shirt, pulling it out of the gray slacks, and clumsily unbuttoning it from bottom to top. Blaine mimicked the motion on Kurt. He reached to pull down Kurt's pants and throw them on the floor beside them.

Now it was just naked skin against skin, their sweat allowing their bodies to slide against one another easily, effortlessly.

"I want you," Blaine muttered against Kurt's lips. Kurt groaned, pulling Blaine's bottom lip between his teeth.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Blaine sighed, grabbing to find the drawer handle next to his bed.

Kurt found it first, pulling a condom and bottle of lube out. "I've got you."

Kurt moved lower, pulling Blaine's boxer briefs down with him. Blaine let out a breathy whine, his head falling hard against the pillow as Kurt's tongue found the head of Blaine's cock.

He sucked slowly and lazily at first, rubbing soothing circles into Blaine's hipbones as he worked. Blaine was squirming beneath him, desperately willing himself not to thrust all the way into Kurt's warm, wet mouth.

"Kurt, Kurt," he said, trying to stop him from continuing. "I'm going to come if you keep that up, please…"

Kurt didn't need to be told what to do. He warmed some lube between his fingers to prep Blaine before entering him. Blaine moaned at the initial push, pulling Kurt closer, deeper inside him. He wanted, needed Kurt to fill him whole and bury himself in Blaine. He needed to get lost in this feeling of having Kurt's body within his. He knew this was something he would never get used to or never get tired of.

Kurt's thrusts became quicker as he snapped his hips in time with the grunts escaping Blaine's mouth. Kurt reached down to grab Blaine's cock and pumped him with each thrust.

The sensation was too much. Maybe his other senses really were heightened, he didn't really know, but Kurt's hand and Kurt's dick began to feel like fire and ice at the same time, they felt like night and day, melodies and harmonies that he had never heard before. And he was coming apart as Kurt moved, reveling in the feel of each entry Kurt made, each stroke of the wrist that Kurt provided him. It was like no other, and he knew there would be no other.

Kurt came first, Blaine following shortly. Their mouths pressed open against each other's, their short grunts of air being swallowed by the other as their orgasms ended.

Kurt pulled out gently, sliding to lie beside Blaine and pulling him closer. He kissed Blaine's hair, snuggling his head onto his shoulder. "I love you so much."

Blaine found Kurt's hand, pulling it to wrap around his waist and drifting off into a world where dreams couldn't lay a hand on Kurt Hummel.

So here Blaine was, nervously tapping his feet backstage. He knew from Kurt's audition that he would be performing for Carmen Tibideaux, and that didn't make things any easier; he had seen how ruthless she had been when he and Kurt went to McKinley to support Rachel, and she completely choked on "Don't Rain on my Parade," and he couldn't help but imagine everything that could go wrong within the next ten minutes.

He heard a soft knock from behind. He froze, in mid straightening of his bow tie. "Hello?" he called.

"Hey, you," he heard Kurt say as Kurt walked up behind him. "I brought you some flowers," he said as he placed them on the table beside Blaine.

"Thanks," Blaine said softly, smiling and turned in Kurt's direction.

Kurt kneeled down in front of him, grasping both of Blaine's hands in his and placing a quick kiss to his knuckles. "You're going to be wonderful, Blaine. I believe in you. Break a leg." He stood up, placing a kiss on Blaine's cheek before walking away to return to the audience.

Blaine took a couple deep breaths and before he knew it, Madam Tibideaux was calling his name over the speakers in the auditorium. He took one last sip of water before making his way onstage.

He could see Kurt and Rachel in the audience behind Carmen, who looked intimidating as ever.

Blaine cleared his throat. "Um, good afternoon, Madam Tibideaux. My name is Blaine Anderson and I will be singing "Something's Coming" from West Side Story."

Cameron looked on with expectant eyes as the horns and strings started behind him.

And then he started singing.

Kurt couldn't stop the smile that stretched across his face as Blaine's eyes fluttered shut at their own accord, his body moving with the music in slow, rhythmical movements as the music surrounded him and his voice transcended any practice Kurt had heard.

He was killing it. He hit every note, interpreted each phrase with perfectly articulated words and breath marks. Kurt watched Ms. Tibideaux anxiously, trying to gauge her expression for her opinion of Blaine.

"Maybe tonight…" he heard Blaine singing. This was it. The end was coming up.

"Maybe tonight…" Kurt couldn't breathe. Blaine's entire performance had been flawless so far…please let him hit his last note. Please.

And there it was. Blaine sang out, the last note of his performance came out seamlessly. Kurt couldn't help but notice the little smile on Blaine's face when he finally released the note as he tried to slow his breathing down.

It was all silent for what felt like forever before Carmen spoke.

"Young man, do you remember what you wrote your academic essay on for your NYADA application?"

"Yes, Madam Tibideaux. I wrote about the fact that I'm blind."

"That's right. And I'm afraid I must ask, what makes you think that you have what it takes to be a performer at NYADA when you won't even be able to see where the stage you're performing on starts or ends, or be able to see the other performers around you, or the audience's reactions, or the cues? How can I be convinced that you can handle the road that NYADA takes you on, or that you even have what it takes to be a performer in this business?"

The color in Blaine's face was draining by the second as Carmen spoke. Kurt's eyes filled with angry tears as he looked between her and Blaine. He couldn't believe she was saying these things to him, that she was putting him on the spot like this. His heart was breaking. But Blaine raised his chin and began to answer.

"With all due respect, Madam Tibideaux, I think I am more than prepared to tackle the role of a performing arts student. I have not been blind my whole life. The events that led to this in my life have well prepared me for any obstacle that gets in my way, and having had vision for a part of my life and having to come to terms with losing it, I believe that I have become more adaptable and am able to learn quicker. I will work harder, practice longer, and do my best to get whatever I want to achieve. If my performance did not convince you of this just now, then I believe there isn't much more I can say."

With that, Blaine walked out. Kurt didn't wait around before getting up and running backstage. But Blaine wasn't there. He looked in practice rooms, dining halls, and the Warblers' rehearsal space before going back up to their room.

Blaine was sitting on his bed, his knees pulled up against his chest.

He looked up as Kurt walked in. "Kurt?" he asked.

Kurt stormed over to the bed and pulled Blaine into his arms.

They weren't crying. They knew that Blaine did the best he could. Despite everything, they knew that there was simply nothing left to do know. All they could do was wait for their letters or acceptance or rejection.


	11. Chapter 10

**Hi, everyone! A HUGE thank you to my awesome beta, KjAnDcool! She helped me make this chapter the best that it could be & I hope you all enjoy it.**

Days continued to go by, and each passing week began to make Kurt and Blaine feel more and more anxious. The agony of waiting for an acceptance or denial increased their feelings of hopelessness, and it seemed like their letters may never come; it got to the point where they didn't even care if it was a rejection, so long as they just got some sort of answer one way or another.

The first couple of weeks, it was all that dominated the conversation. Their frustrations were shared, which made it easy to vent to one another. As time went on, though, talking about it just made it more tiresome. So they eventually stopped.

A new topic of conversation came up during the last weekend of April. Kurt had spent some much-needed time with Mercedes, Tina, and Rachel. They went shopping to relieve some of the stress of school and to catch up on what everyone was missing in each others' lives.

"So, Kurt, have you or Blaine heard back from NYADA yet?"

Kurt huffed. "No. It's pointless. Neither of us have any inkling as to what's going to happen. I feel awful because _I_ was the one who convinced Blaine to apply to NYADA. I think he wanted to stick to Tisch so this just added a whole bunch of pressure."

"Why would he do that?" Tina asked. "I mean applying there."

"He wanted to apply there and kind of let his parents think he was just applying to the business school…they wanted him to go to Brown because his dad went there, so he applied. Not early admission of course, but between me convincing him to apply to NYADA and applying to Brown and all of those other Ivy Leagues his parents were so set on, applying to Tisch just didn't happen. It was kind of a mess in hindsight, and now I feel bad – like I wasn't supporting what he really wanted."

"Well, you know, Kurt, it's not a bad thing for you to want him to go where you go," Rachel chimed in. "Like with Finn, I'm –"

"Okay, I'm going to stop you right there," Mercedes cut in. She turned to Kurt. "Did you guys talk about it? You must have talked to him a lot before you actually, you know, convinced to apply to NYADA over Tisch."

"I guess," Kurt sighed. "But now that we're waiting for these acceptance letters, I'm more nervous than ever and questioning everything. It's inevitable, really. I'll talk to him tonight, he's coming over to have Friday night dinner with us."

"While you're at it, you should talk to him about transferring back to McKinley," Rachel mentioned casually.

Mercedes smacked her arm as Kurt whipped his head in her direction. "…What?"

Mercedes turned to him. "Don't listen to Rachel, she doesn't know what she's – "

"Actually, I meant exactly what I said," Rachel said; this time it was her turn to interrupt. She turned to Kurt. "You should think about transferring back to McKinley."

Kurt looked back, rather dumbfounded. Transfer back?

"And why would I do that?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"For Nationals, of course!" Rachel squealed excitedly.

Kurt let the girls' chatter die away from his mind as thoughts started to roll over like waves in his mind. Transferring back never even crossed his mind. Go back to the place where his tormentor lurks? Return to the halls that caused him countless bouts of physical pain, bruised shoulders, and slushie facials? He couldn't do that. He couldn't leave Blaine. He couldn't transfer back so close to graduation, there was no way.

It would never work.

He wouldn't even consider it.

Moving on.

It wasn't the first time that Blaine had joined Kurt and his family for a Friday night dinner, and they had settled into a comfortable routine by now.

Blaine had come home with Kurt that afternoon and hung out with Burt, listening to the baseball game while Kurt went shopping. When Kurt got home that afternoon, it put a big smile on his face to see the two most important men in his life bonding together, despite the fact that they were both standing up, Burt screaming at the TV and Blaine covering his face with his hands, clearly upset with whatever had just happened in the game.

When Burt finally settled down, he noticed Kurt standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey, Kurt!" he called from the couch.

"Hey, Dad," he said with a smile as he made his way over to Blaine. Blaine held his hand out, smiling, and Kurt came over and took it in his, sitting between them on the couch.

"Not going too well, I'm guessing?"

"Not too well at all," Blaine said, trying to listen to the announcer on TV as the game continued.

Kurt hummed and sat back, resting his head on Blaine's shoulder and closing his eyes for a few minutes. He loved seeing his friends, but the combination of the three of them plus shopping was enough to put him to sleep. Before he knew it, Burt and Blaine's chattering and the sound of the ball game faded from his mind.

He woke up a half hour later. His eyes opened, everything a little foggy, but he could tell that it was darker outside. His position had changed so that he was leaning against Blaine's chest, Blaine's arms wrapped securely around him. He could feel Blaine's soft breathing and could tell that he had fallen asleep too, presumably after the game had finished, as the TV was now turned off. Kurt could hear Burt and Carole cooking in the kitchen, and could smell wafts of garlic and other spices coming from the kitchen. He smiled, stretching his legs out a little and leaning up to plant a kiss to Blaine's slightly parted lips.

It woke him up apparently, and he groaned softly though a smile that was now forming across his lips.

"-ou woke me up," he mumbled, leaning his head on top of Kurt's.

"I know." Kurt responded, kissing him again.

Blaine was silent for a minute before asking, his voice scratchy with sleep, "How long was I asleep for?"

"Mm…I don't know. Couldn't have been too long. Who won the game?"

"Tigers."

"Hm," Kurt hummed again. He wasn't going to pretend whether he knew if that was good or bad. "Spaghetti sound good for dinner?"

"Oh my God, yes," he said, pulling his arms up and stretching. "I suppose I should wake up if I hope to have dinner at all."

Kurt laughed. "Yeah, me too."

They dragged themselves up, their bodies weary with sleep and walked to the kitchen where Burt was stirring a pot of spaghetti while Carole added spices to the sauce.

"Hello, boys," she greeted with a smile. "How was school this week?"

They both groaned. "It really is amazing how much more difficult Dalton is than McKinley. At least I'll be prepared for Lima Community in the fall," Kurt grumbled.

"Kurt," Burt and Blaine said at the same time; Burt's tone full of warning, Blaine's pleading.

"I don't want to hear that kind of talk," Burt said, "You find out by next weekend."

"Yeah, Kurt, you don't need to give up yet," Blaine added.

"I know," Kurt sighed exasperatedly. "It just sucks waiting for something I'm so unsure about getting, even though I want it so bad and have worked so hard and will continue to work hard and really don't know what I would do otherwise, I mean what other opt – "

He was cut off when Blaine put a calming hand on his shoulder. "Shh," he whispered softly.

"Sorry," Kurt mumbled. "Rambling."

Blaine nodded sympathetically. " Well I'm just as nervous as you are, I'm sure. But just try to relax…we'll know when we know, right? We have to find out one way or another," he reasoned.

"That's true." He got up to help Carole set the table, setting down plates and hot pads. "Are Finn and Rachel here tonight?"

"No, they had to 'rehearse' at Rachel's house," Burt grumbled.

"Ah," Kurt said, rolling his eyes affectionately. He supposed Nationals was an excuse.

"Just the four of us?" Blaine asked, standing up.

"Just the four of us tonight. I hope you boys are hungry," Carole responded She finished putting the sauce and pasta pots on the table before grabbing a salad out of the refrigerator as Burt pulled some garlic bread out of the oven.

"I'm starving," Blaine said quietly with a smile. Kurt went over, wrapping his arms around Blaine's waist and kissing his cheek before moving him gently towards the table and pulling his seat out for him.

The four of them had an easy conversation over dinner; it made Kurt happy that they could do this with his family when it wasn't so easy with Blaine's. Not that they didn't like Kurt, but they were _always _gone – his parents on business, his brother in L.A. He knew Blaine got lonely, so it was a special way to spend a Friday evening.

After the boys helped clean up, Kurt and Blaine went upstairs to cuddle and put in a movie. They popped Moulin Rouge into the DVD player and snuggled up on Kurt's bed. They were settled and about twenty minutes into the movie when Kurt brought up the question that had been in the back of his mind since his conversation with the girls that afternoon.

"Hey, Blaine?"

"Hm?"

"I need to talk to you about something."

Blaine stopped humming along and turned his head a little, letting Kurt know he had his attention.

"Rachel, Tina, Mercedes and I were talking today, and…they all want me to transfer back to McKinley."

He braced himself for Blaine's response. He was silent, chewing his lip as Kurt's words hit him. Kurt continued.

"I mean, um…they really want me back to-to go to Nationals with them, and…I really miss my friends, and…I mean we only have about a month left of school anyway…" He trailed off, watching Blaine still biting his lip.

Then he spoke. "Is…is that, um, what you really want? I mean, do you want to, uh, to transfer back?" he asked timidly.

Kurt thought about it for a minute. He didn't want to, not in the least, at first when Rachel mentioned it. But now as he thought about it more, having slept on it, and being able to be with his friends and family, he found the offer to be much more desirable. He'd get to go to New York and compete with the New Directions, and be with his friends and live at home…

But what about Blaine? He couldn't leave Blaine.

"…I don't know," he admitted weakly.

Blaine leaned over, reaching his hand up to find Kurt's hair and ran his fingers through it. They didn't say anything for a while.

"Will you be safe?" Blaine asked.

"Mm, I think so. With all of the guys in glee…and it's only a month until graduation. Karofsky and his Neanderthal friends will probably leave me alone."

"I just want you to be safe," Blaine replied.

"Well I do too…and I think I will. Really. I just…I wanted to talk to you and ask you what you think. Because I care about you and what you think, and I wouldn't ever do anything that would really upset you and – "

Blaine held a hand up, shaking his head, cutting off Kurt's rambling again. "Kurt," he started calmly. He took Kurt's hands in his, speaking up again. "I want what you want…you're right, it's only a month until graduation. And please don't take this the wrong way, but I will be fine without you at Dalton. Will I like it? Not exactly, but…I want you to be happy more than anything. If you're safe and happy, then I'm happy. It's up to you, baby."

Kurt could hardly help the wide smile that spread wide across his face. "Really?"

Blaine nodded. "Of course."

Kurt pulled him close, kissing his soft, warm, red lips. He kissed Blaine breathless. He kissed his lips, moved up to lick the shell of his ear before moving down, planting short pecks along his jawline, and then moving down to his neck and sucking that sweet spot of Blaine's that he had discovered early on in their relationship.

The pants escaping between Blaine's parted lips were the only form of encouragement Kurt needed. He pulled up the bottom of Blaine's t-shirt, and Blaine lifted his arms to help him get it off. Kurt moved fast, sucking gently on the soft skin of Blaine's chest. Blaine let out a soft moan of pleasure as Kurt let his tongue trail lazily across his nipples before dipping down, along the line of his jeans. Blaine was already starting to lift his hips slightly, anxious for what was coming.

Kurt slowly unbuckled Blaine's belt, pushing back the material and dragging the jeans to pool around Blaine's ankles.

"Kurt," he moaned out as he felt Kurt taking hold of his boxer-brief waistband and lifting it up and then down, letting those join where the jeans were resting.

Kurt could see the outline of Blaine's already-hard cock in the dark room and hungrily went down on it, letting his tongue run along both sides of the length.

Blaine was practically whining, suppressing the urge to thrust into Kurt's warm mouth. His hands moved from where they were outstretched and fisting the sheets on the bed to come and tangle in Kurt's hair, running his fingers through the locks encouragingly.

"Kurt, I'm close," he warned. "I'm really, really close," he whined breathily.

Kurt kept going, wanting to give his boyfriend everything that he gave him. He felt Blaine tense up before he was coming in his mouth; Kurt kept him grounded, holding his hips down gently.

Realizing how cold and vulnerable Blaine must be feeling now, he took off his own clothes before coming up to Blaine, gently pushing him to face the other way before pulling him close to cuddle him against him.

He kissed Blaine's sweaty hair and fell asleep holding him closely, feeling his heart beat against Blaine's back.

"—urt! Kurt, wake up! Buddy, c'mon, I can't wait any longer!"

Kurt was vaguely aware of his dad yelling downstairs the next morning.

Oh shit.

Being naked in bed with his boyfriend was not going to look good. That woke him up pretty quickly.

"Blaine! Blaine, wake up!" he started shaking Blaine in an effort to wake him up quicker.

"Huh?" Blaine asked, turning around slowly.

Kurt was already out of bed and throwing clothes on. "My dad's yelling for me downstairs! We need to get dressed, quickly!"

When Kurt had his pajamas tugged on, he went over to help Blaine find his clothes. Blaine threw them on clumsily before the two of them went downstairs to see what all the fuss was about.

"Dad, what is it?" Kurt asked, rounding the corner to the kitchen.

Carole was sitting at the table in her robe, Burt pacing quickly with a cup of coffee in one hand and a letter in the other.

"Kurt! Man, what took you so long?" he thrust the envelope into Kurt's hands.

They trembled as Kurt read the return address.

NYADA.

"What is it?" Blaine asked from behind him.

"My NYADA letter," Kurt answered softly.

"C'mon, open it!" Burt was practically bouncing. Carole hushed him as Kurt turned it over and began to tear it open.

A pin could have been dropped and heard as Kurt scanned the letter. He looked up, tears welling in his eyes.

"I got in."

All at once, he was enveloped in a hug from Burt in one direction, Carole in another, Blaine from behind, and Finn in another. Where did Finn come from? He didn't care – he got in. He was officially a NYADA student.

"We gotta celebrate, I'm taking everyone out for dinner tonight, and not just Breadstix, somewhere really nice…" Burt was going off, talking about all sorts of plans for the evening.

Kurt turned to Blaine. "I got in," he whispered under his dad's yelling.

Blaine smiled. "Kurt, I'm so, so proud of you. I knew you could do it."

Kurt's smile faltered a little. "Well if I got mine, do you think you got yours?"

"There's only one way to find out."

Within a half hour, they were on their way to Blaine's house.

Blaine was tapping his foot quickly. He always does that when he's nervous, Kurt had discovered. He reached over to rub Blaine's knee soothingly.

"We don't even know if it's going to be there, right? There's nothing to be worried about," Blaine reassured Kurt, though Kurt thought it was more to reassure himself than anything.

"How much longer?" Blaine asked.

"Mmm, about twenty minutes," Kurt replied. He turned the music up a touch in hopes that it would distract Blaine the rest of the way so that he wasn't worrying himself too much.

It seemed to work after a few minutes, as Blaine started to sing along. They arrived at Blaine's house in no time.

Blaine exhaled loudly and pushed his door open. Kurt went over to help him get to the mailbox. They opened the lid and peered inside to see if the letter was there.

There was a stack of envelopes. Kurt pulled them out, flipping through quickly and carefully, and then landed on it.

He handed it to Blaine, trying to remain calm.

"This is it?" Blaine asked.

"Mhm," Kurt answered.

Blaine started to clumsily tear it open with shaking hands. He handed the letter over to Kurt to read to him.

Kurt scanned it over quickly.

"Just tell me," Blaine said, sounding a little bit strained. "Just–"

"You got in."

There was stunned silence.

"Wh…what?" Blaine asked, a crack in his voice.

"You got in," Kurt said again, excitement filling his voice and tears filling his eyes. "You got in, Blaine, you got in!" He grabbed Blaine and pulled him towards him, planting a huge kiss to his lips and hugging him close.

He felt Blaine hug back with as much force, sobs wracking his body. "Is this really happening?" he asked.

"It's really happening!" Kurt started bouncing up and down excitedly. "It's really happening!"

They basked in excitement for the next few minutes before going inside so that Blaine could get a change of clothes for the evening. They hopped back in the car and headed back to Kurt's house to celebrate with his family. They belted out songs from Wicked on the way home, reminiscent of one of their first dates, and pulled into Kurt's driveway an hour later.

They walked in in the midst of everyone getting ready to go to Firenze, an Italian restaurant that gave Breadstix a run for its money.

Rachel joined them for dinner that night, though she was still pending her NYADA acceptance letter.

"A toast," Burt proclaimed, standing up. Kurt was blushing but smiled with everyone else listening to Burt. "A toast to two boys who are a part of our family…two boys who have been through so much, more than most people that I know, and have achieved something absolutely spectacular. Boys, you should be so proud of yourselves. Cheers to you and your futures."

Everyone clapped and clinked glasses as Burt sat back down.

"So, Blaine, have you told your parents yet?" Burt asked, pouring himself and Carole more wine.

Kurt noticed Blaine stopped chewing his food for a second, his eyes going wide, his hand tensing up where it held onto Kurt's hand under the table.

How was he going to tell his parents?


End file.
